DDRESSES  TO  CISIJLDRE 


X 


BEATITUDES. 


MATTHEW  V.  1—12. 

BY    MRS.    CAMEROX, 

luthor  of"  Margaret  Wliyte?  "  Two  Mothers?  <jv 


FIRST   AMERICAN   EDITION. 


TH 


TEW-YQRK  : 

EPISCOPAL    SUNDAY    SCHOOL    UNION 
*rc3s  Buildings,  No.  46  Lumber-Street, 
rear  of  Trinity  Church. 
per  10a:    75  cent*  per  doz. :  8  cents  each. 


Printed  at  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Press. 
No.  46  Lumber-Street. 


1829. 


UNIVERSITY  C 
NORTJF*  CAKOLiN 

School  of  -Librae. 


■ 


ADDRESSES  TO  CHILDREN 


BEATITUDES. 


MATTHEW  V.  1—12. 

BY    MRS.    CAMERON 

Author  of  "Margaret  Whyte"  "  Two  Mothers,"  <5fC. 


FIRST    AMERICAN   EDITION. 


NEW-YORK  : 

■•ublished  by  the  General  Protestant  Episcopal  Sunday  School  Union, 
nd  for  sale  at  their  Depository,  Protestant  Episcopal  Press  Buildings 
>.  46  Lumber-Street,  in  the  rear  of  Trinity  Church,  and  at  their  different 
uich  Depositories. 

PRINTED    AT    THE    PROTESTANT    EPISCOPAL    PRESS, 

No.  46  Lumber-Street, 
1329. 


s 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2012  with  funding  from 

University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hill 


http://www.archive.org/details/addressestochildOOcame 


ADDRESSES   TO   CHILDREN 

ON  THE 

BEATITUDES. 


ADDRESS    I. 


"  Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit :  for  theirs  is  the  kingdom  of  Heaven."— 
Matt.  v.  3 


My  beloved  children,  I  earnestly  ask  you  to  attend 
to  these  words :  they  were  spoken  to  you  by  the  Lord 
of  Life  himself;  and  with  them  he  begins  that  dis- 
course which  is  well  known  to  many  of  you  by  the 
name  of  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount.  Some  of  you 
have  probably  learned  the  whole  Sermon  by  heart,  or 
at  least  the  twelve  first  verses,  containing  what  are  call- 
ed the  Beatitudes.  I  have  known  many  little  ones  lisp 
these  words  when  they  were  learning  their  first  infant 
language ;  and  if  you  have  not  already  done  so,  let  me 
advise  you  to-  learn  these  verses  by  heart  immediately : 
for  it  will  be  a  great  help  to  you  in  understanding  their 
meaning,  to  have  them  always  fresh  in  your  mind. 

In  addressing  you,  I  shall  take  it  for  granted  that  you 
know  the  name  of  your  Creator,  your  Saviour,  and 
your  Sanctifier ;  that  you  have  learned  the  Ten  Com- 
mandments, and  the  Lord's  Prayer ;  and  that  you  know 
that  you  have  three  great  enemies,  the  world,  the  flesh, 
and  the  devil,  who  are  always  striving  to  hinder  your 
progress  towards  heaven.    Most  children  have  learned 


yuw+i 


4  ADDRESSES   TO   CHILDREN 

these  things  at  home  from  their  parents,  or  at  school 
from  their  teachers,  or  on  a  Sunday  from  their  spiritual 
pastors;  but  those  who  watch  for  your  souls  are  very 
anxious  that  you  should  know  more  and  more  of  the 
-  ^meaning  and  spirit  of  religion,  and  that,  like  Sa- 
muel and  our  Blessed  Saviour,  you  should  increase  in 
wisdom  and  knowledge  as  you  daily  increase  in  stature. 

JZZn   n0t  SUPP°Se  2?  thGStUdy  °f  reli^ion  is  too 
serious  for  your  years :  this  thought  comes  from  Satan 

and  is  one  of  his  great  deceits.     He  was  a  liar  from  the 

beginning    and  is  still  a  liar.     He  often  says  to  you, 

It  will  be  time  enough  to  think  of  religion  when  you 

are  old;  play  and  amusement  only  are  suited  to  your 

aIV/ZTy  perhaPslive  many  years;  when  sickness 
and  death  draw  near,  you  can  then  prepare  for  eternity  » 
The  world  and  the  flesh  give  you  also  the  same  lesson. 
But  you  must  pay  no  regard  to  what  they  say  You 
must  stop  your  ears  to  their  false  suggestions ;  for  they 
would  lead  you  into  utter  destruction. 

But  what  does  the  Word  of  God  teach  you  *   A  les- 
son which  I  hope  you  will  mark,  learn,  and  inwardly 
digest.     Our  Saviour  says,  Suffer  the  little  children 
to  come  unto  me,  and  forbid  them  not ;  for  of  such  is 
the  kingdom  of  God.  (Mark  x.  14.)    And  on  many 
accounts  none  are  so  well  fitted  to  come  to  him  as  chil- 
dren and  young  people.    Hearken  to  me  diligently 
while  I  explain  to  you  how  this  is.     You  are  fresh  out 
of  your  Creator's  hands,  audit  is  common  for  people 
to  be  most  thankful  for  blessings  they  have  just  received. 
Life  and  health  and  rosy  childhood,  cheerfulness  and 
gaiety,  have  just  been  bestowed  upon  you.    A  thou- 
sand new  delights  are  daily  opening  upon  you.     The 
sunshine,  the  green  fields,  the  violet-bank,  the  butterfly 


**  - 


^* 


ON   THE    BEATITUDES.  5 

with  silken  wings,  all  these  please  you,  and  are  all  the 
gifts  of  God.  These  and  a  thousand  other  pleasures  have 
only  lately  opened  upon  you,  as  you  gradually  sprung 
from  your  nurses'  arms  into  the  freedom  and  activity 
of  childhood.  Every  thing  you  want  also  for  the  sup- 
port of  your  bodies  is  abundantly  provided  for  you — 

"  All  without  your  care  and  payment, 
All  your  wants  are  well  supplied." 

Who  then  should  praise  God,  if  not  those  who  are  so 
highly  blessed? 

My  young  ones,  will  you,  who  are  the  latest  works 
of  God — who  are  rejoicing  daily  in  the  abundance  of 
his  gifts — will  you  be  the  last  to  bless  the  Giver.  Sup- 
pose I  were  to  offer  to  any  child  among  you,  a  basket 
of  very  choice  fruit,  and  that  child  were  to  take  the 
fruit,  and  in  taking  it  say,  "  I  will  accept  your  fruit  and 
enjoy  it,  but  I  will  not  thank  you  for  giving  it :"  would 
you  not  all  cry  shame  upon  such  a  child  for  his  ingra- 
titude ?  But  you  are  doing  the  very  same  thing,  if  you 
accept  the  blessings  of  childhood,  and  refuse  to  thank 
your  God.  A  pious  child  is  lovely  in  the  eyes  of  an- 
gels and  men ;  but  an  unthankful,  worldly-minded  child 
is  disgusting  and  unnatural.  If  you  have  been  hither- 
to unthankful,  humble  yourselves  before  God  for  your 
great  sin. 

I  hope,  my  dear  young  ones,  I  have  made  it  appear 
that  it  is  particularly  fitting  that  you  should  love  and 
delight  in  your  God.  And  I  hope,  then,  that  I  shall 
not  have  much  trouble  in  persuading  you  to  try  to  un- 
derstand those  remarkable  and  beautiful  verses  with 
which  our  Saviour  began  his  discourse,  and  which,  by 
little  and  little,  I  mean  to  explain  to  you. 
1* 


0  ADDRESSES   TO   CHILDREN 

And  seeing-  the  multitudes,  Jesus  went  up  into  a 
mountain :  and  when  he  was  set,  his  disciples  came 
unto  him:  and  he  opened  his  mouth,  and  taught 
them,  saying,  Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit :  for 
theirs  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven.     (Matt.  v.  1—3.) 

Before  I  begin  my  promised  explanation,  we  will 
unite  in  praying  that  you  may  be  of  the  number  of  his 
disciples  who  will  come  to  him,  to  hear  the  words  of 
eternal  life  explained  to  you.  Remember,  that  if  you 
sit  at  his  feet  as  hearers  in  this  life,  the  day  will  come 
when  you  shall  sit  on  his  throne  to  reign  with  him  for 
ever. 

In  what  I  am  now  going  to  say,  I  shall  first  try  to 
explain  to  you,  who  are  meant  by  the  poor  in  spirit; 
secondly,  what  is  meant  by  the  kingdom  of  heaven;  I 
shall  then  show  you  why  our  Saviour  begins  his  dis- 
course with  this  beatitude ;  and,  in  the  last  place,  I  shall 
beg  my  beloved  children  to  ask  themselves  some  ques- 
tions which  will  be  suitable  to  the  subject  we  shall  have 
been  considering. 

First.  It  is  necessary  that  babes  should  be  fed  with 
milk ;  and  therefore  a  very  plain  and  simple  explana- 
tion of  this  subject  must  be  given  you  now.  Hereafter, 
if  you  grow  in  grace  and  wisdom  while  you  are  young, 
you  will  be  able  to  understand  the  commentaries  of 
the  wise  and  learned. 

By  the  poor  in  spirit  are  meant  those  men  and  wo- 
men, and  those  children,  who  think  meanly  of  them- 
selves. I  might  perhaps  better  say,  they  are  those  per- 
sons who  think  truly  of  themselves.  -A  child  who  is 
poor  in  spirit,  knows  and  feels  that  his  heart  is  natu- 
rally wicked.  He  knows  that  he  was  born  in  sin,  be- 
cause, when  our  father  Adam  ate  the  forbidden  fruit 


ON    THE    BEATITUDES.  7 

sin  entered  into  the  world,  and  the  nature  of  man  be- 
came corrupt ;  and  every  child  of  Adam  is  born  with 
the  seeds  of  sin  in  his  heart,  and  he  feels  that  these 
seeds  of  sin  are  daily  springing  up ;  and  he  knows,  too, 
that  as  he  was  born  in  sin,  so  likewise  he  was  born  a 
child  of  wrath,  exposed  to  the  just  anger  of  a  righteous 
and  holy  God,  and  in  danger  of  everlasting  fire  in  Hell. 

The  child  who  is  poor  in  spirit  knows  that  though  he 
was  baptized  when  he  was  a  little  infant,  in  the  name 
of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  three 
Persons  and  one  God,  yet  he  knows  that  he  has  not 
since  walked  worthy  of  his  heavenly  calling. 

At  his  baptism  he  was  devoted  to  God :  he  was  laid 
as  it  were  in  his  Saviour's  arms,  and  great  blessings, 
the  forgiveness  of  sins,  and  a  new  and  holy  nature, 
God's  favour  and  blessing  in  this  life,  and  eternal  glory 
in  the  next,  were  asked  for  him,  and  promised  to  him, 
at  his  baptism :  he  was  called  to  be  "  a  child  of  God,  a 
member  of  Christ,  and  an  inheritor  of  the  kingdom  of 
heaven."  Yet  he  has  not  been  mindful  of  these  things. 
He  knows  that,  ever  since  he  can  remember,  his  heart 
has  been  foolish  at  best,  and  very  often  full  of  sin :  like 
a  foolish  lamb,  he  has  wandered  from  the  pasture  of 
the  Good  Shepherd ;  where  at  his  baptism  he  was  gent- 
ly brought  to  feed,  to  go  in  and  out,  and  find  sweet 
grass.  He  knows  that  he  has  fed  upon  the  coarse 
weeds  of  this  world,  and  followed  after  other  flowers 
and  fruit  than  the  flowers  of  Paradise  and  the  fruit 
of  the  tree  of  life.  The  child  who  is  poor  in  spirit 
can  say  from  his  heart,  "  I  have  done  those  things 
which  I  ought  not  to  have  done,  and  I  have  left  undone 
those  things  which  I  ought  to  have  done,  and  there  is 
no  health  in  me."     Therefore  the  child  who  is  poor  in 


ADDRESSES   TO   CHILDREN 

-Spirit,  feeling  all  these  things,  knows  that  he  can  never 
be  saved  by  his  own  goodness,  but  only  through  the 
mercy  of  God.  He  must  be  saved  by  the  mercy  of  God 
the  Father,  who  so  loved  the  world,  that  he  gave  his 
only-begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  in  him 
should  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life  ;  (John 
111.  16.)  he  must  be  saved  by  the  mercy  of  God  the  Son 
who  so  loved  the  world  as  to  lay  down  his  life  for  it  • 
and  through  the  mercy  of  God  the  Holy  Ghost,  who 
washes  and  purines  the  heart  of  man  from  sin,  and 
plants  in  it  a  new  and  holy  nature. 

Secondly.    We  will  consider  what  is  meant  by  the 
kingdom  of  heaven,  which  belongs  to  the  poor  in  spirit. 
I  he  kingdom  of  heaven,  in  its  full  meaning,  is  that 
state  of  glory  into  which  the  righteous  shall  enter  at 
the  day  of  judgment.     And  if  I  were  to  try  to  explain 
to  you  what  that  is,  I  must  have  an  angel's  pen:  for 
eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  neither  have  entered 
into  the  heart  of  man,  the  things  which  God  hath 
prepared  for  them  that  love  him;  (1  Cor.  h.  9  )  yet 
by  the  glass  of  faith,  we  may  sometimes  discern  a  little 
of  the  Celestial  City.     In  this  glass,  my  children,   I 
would  advise  you  often  to  look.     It  is  by  looking  often 
through  this  glass,  that  we  become  willing  to  take  up 
our  cross  and  foUow  Christ;  and  that  we  learn  to  be 
content  with  such  things  as  we  have :  for  if  our  hearts 
are  set  on  that  which  is  to  come,  we  shaU  not  care  very 
greatly  for  those  things  which  are  here.    But  the  king- 
dom of  heaven  not  only  means  complete  glory  here- 
after ;  it  means  also,  a  very  sweet  and  happy  state 
mmd  here.     The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  righteousness 
peace,  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost.    It  is  that  peace 
which  we  pray  for  every  Sunday,  which  the  world 
cannot  give,  nor  take  away. 


ON   THE    BEATITUDES.  & 

The  child  who  is  poor  in  spirit  shall,  without  doubt, 
taste  this  peace ;  because  it  is  the  peculiar  gift  of  our 
Saviour  to  his  people.  He  says,  My  peace  I  give  unto 
you:  in  me  ye  shall  have  peace. 

The  child  who  is  poor  in  spirit  does  not  say  or  think 
to  himself,  "  I  am  a  good  child,  better  than  many  of 
my  acquaintance :"  but  he  feels  that  he  has  sinned  in 
thought,  word,  and  deed,  ever  since  he  was  born ;  and 
he  knows  that  in  himself  there  is  nothing  good,  and 
that  he  must  be  cast  into  eternal  fire,  unless  he  is  saved 
from  it  by  the  Saviour  who  died  for  him ;  and  he  casts 
himself  before  him,  saying,  "  God,  be  merciful  to  me, 
a  sinner !"  and  our  Saviour  hears  him,  and  pardons  him, 
and  makes  him  holy ;  and  in  his  own  time  he  sends  his 
peace  into  his  bosom  to  refresh  him,  and  his  peace  is 
sweeter  to  his  soul  than  the  fragrance  of  flowers  in  the 
dew  of  evening  to  the  feelings  of  his  body. 

In  the  third  place,  we  will  consider  some  of  the  rea- 
sons why  our  Saviour  begins  his  discourse  with  this 
beatitude.  If  we  would  build  a  very  stately  palace,  we 
must  lay  the  foundation  very  low.  We  are  continual- 
ly told  in  the  Bible,  that  God  resists  the  proud,  that  he 
sends  them  empty  away,  and  that  he  filleth  the  poor 
and  humble  with  good  things.  There  are  more  texts 
on  this  subject  than  I  can  here  put  down,  and  it  would 
be  a  very  good  exercise  for  you  to  look  for  them  in  your 
Bibles,  and  to  write  them  in  a  book,  or  learn  them  by 
heart.  If  you  would  ever  get  to  Heaven,  if  you  would 
ever  make  any  advance  in  religion,  labour  after  humi- 
lity. It  is  the  foundation-stone  of  true  religion,  and  it 
is  the  top-stone  of  the  work.  Seek  after  it,  pray  after 
it,  strive  after  it.  As  long  as  you  think  yourselves  to 
be  something,  you  shall  be  nothing,  worse  than  nothing, 


10  ADDRESSES   TO   CHILDREN 

Our  Saviour  knew  what  was  in  the  heart  of  man,  and 
he  knew  that  pride  would  always  be  the  great  hin- 
drance to  our  receiving  his  words,  and  he  therefore  be- 
gins his  discourse  with  pronouncing  those  blessed  who 
are  poor  in  spirit.  Follow  also  the  example  as  well  as 
the  precepts  of  Christ.  He,  who  is  the  Lord  of  all,  and 
reigns  above  the  sky,  began  his  lifeiof  glory  and  won- 
der in  this  world,  in  a  manger,  and  closed  it  on  a  cross. 
Surely  he  sat  himself  down  in  the  lowest  place,  and  by 
his  actions,  as  well  as  his  words,  he  says  to  you  his 
children,  "  Be  ye  poor  in  spirit,  as  I  was  poor  in  spirit. 
Learn  of  me :  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly  in  heart.'''' 
(Matt.  xi.  29.) 

In  the  last  place,  I  would  earnestly  beg  of  you  to  ex- 
amine yourselves  whether  you  are  poor  in  spirit ;  whe- 
ther you  are  of  the  number  of  those  children  of  whom 
is  the  kingdom  of  heaven ;  or  whether  you  still  belong 
to  the  multitude  of  those  children  of  whom  it  is  said 
that  foolishness  is  bound  up  in  their  hearts.  Are  you 
sensible  of  your  sin  and  misery  by  nature  7  Do  you 
know  that  you  have  done  many  things  to  make  God 
angry  with  you  ?  that  you  have  broken  his  command- 
ments in  thought,  word,  and  deed?  Ask  yourselves  such 
questions  as  these.  Have  you  felt  love  to  God  for  all 
his  goodness  to  you  ?  With  what  thoughts  have  you 
lain  down  in  bed  at  night  and  got  up  in  a  morning  ? 
Have  they  not  most  commonly  been  thoughts  of  folly  ? 
How  have  you  kept  the  Sabbath-day  ?  Have  not  your 
thoughts  been  vain  and  wandering  in  God's  house  ?  and 
have  not  your  prayers  at  home  been  said  in  a  careless 
and  trifling  manner?  Have  you  not  often  disobeyed 
your  parents  ?  quarrelled  with  your  brothers  and  sis- 
ters, and  other  companions  ?  Have  you  not  neglected 


ON   THE    BEATITUDES.  11 

your  lessons,  and  the  employments  belonging  to  that 
state  of  life  unto  which  it  has  pleased  God  to  call  you? 
And  has  it  not,  on  most  occasions,  been  your  chief  ob- 
ject to  please  yourself  rather  than  to  do  the  will  of 
God  ?  Are  you,  my  children,  sensible  in  any  degree  of 
these  sins,  and  the  many  others  of  which  you  have 
been  guilty  ?  and  are  you  sorry  that  your  hearts  are 
so  wicked  ?  and  that  they  are  so  continually  leading 
you  far  away  from  God  ?  If  you  are  in  any  degree  thus 
poor  in  spirit,  pray  that  you  may  become  still  more  so ; 
that  you  may  make  every  day  some  advance  in  this 
holy  and  happy  state  of  mind ;  that  so  an  entrance 
may  be  ministered  unto  you  abundantly  into  the  king- 
dom of  heaven.  But  if  you  do  not  feel  humbled,  by 
looking  into  your  lives  and  hearts ;  and,  if  instead  of 
encouraging  lowly  thoughts  of  your  own  state,  you 
think  yourselves  very  good,  and  pride  yourselves  upon 
not  committing  the  same  faults  into  which  some  other 
children  fall ;  or  if  you  please  yourselves  with  think- 
ing that  you  are  more  clever  or  handsome  than  other 
children  of  your  acquaintance ;  in  short,  if  you  love  to 
indulge  high  thoughts  of  yourselves  in  any  way,  in- 
stead of  trying  to  find  out  your  faults,  and  repenting  of 
them ;  then  I  must  tell  you,  that  you  are  not  poor  in 
spirit,  but  that  you  are  children  of  this  world,  and  we  all 
know  what  their  portion  will  be.  But  there  is  still 
hope  for  you ;  the  Lord  waiteth  to  be  gracious  to  you. 
Arise,  make  haste  and  turn  to  God  while  the  day  of  grace 
yet  lasteth ;  pray  to  be  made  poor  in  spirit,  and  your 
prayer  shall  be  heard.  My  children,  it  is  but  a  little 
while  since  you  lay  as  helpless  infants  in  your  nurses' 
arms.  Surely  it  will  be  no  hard  lesson  then  to  teach 
you  to  cast  yourselves  on  your  heavenly  Father's  mer- 


12  ADDRESSES  TO   CHILDREN 

cy.  Your  souls  are  helpless  as  to  the  things  of  heaven, 
as  your  bodies  were  when  infants  with  respect  to  the 
things  of  earth.  Your  parents  and  your  nurses  car- 
ried you  then  in  their  arms,  and  tenderly  supported 
you ;  they  screened  you  from  harm  with  anxious  care, 
and  daily  provided  for  your  wants :  but  your  heavenly 
Father  loves  you  better  than  they  did ;  his  arms  of  love 
are  open  to  receive  you ;  he  is  full  of  tender  compassion 
towards  you ;  make  haste,  and  delay  not  to  come  to 
him.  For  then,  and  then  only,  shall  you  become  poor 
in  spirit ;  and  then,  and  then  only,  the  kingdom  of  hea- 
ven will  come  into  your  hearts  here,  and  become  your 
inheritance  also  for  ever  and  ever.' 


ADDRESS  II. 


*'  Blessed  are  they  that  mourn :  for  they  shall  be  comforted.  "—Matt.  v.  4. 


I  tried  lately,  my  beloved  children,  to  explain  to 
you  who  are  the  poor  in  spirit ;  and  I  told  you,  that 
children  who  are  poor  in  spirit,  are  those  who  have  a 
humble  and  lively  sense  of  their  sinful  and  helpless 
state  by  nature. 

Our  Saviour,  in  the  verse  I  have  just  read  to  you, 
proceeds  to  say,  that  they  are  blessed  who  mourn.  I 
shall  therefore,  treading  in  his  steps,  try  to  explain  to 
you  how  children  who  are  poor  in  spirit,  not  only  know 
their  sins,  but  mourn  for  them ;  and  then  I  shall  show 
you  how  those  children  who  mourn  for  their  sins  are 
blessed. 


ON    THE    BEATITUDES.  13 

First,  I  shall  try  to  show  you  how  children  who  are 
poor  in  spirit  mourn. 

Those  people  who  have  never  walked  themselves  in 
the  strait,  though  pleasant,  path  which  leads  to  eternal 
life,  will  often  tell  you  that  it  is  a  very  dull  thing  to  be 
religious :  but  it  is  a  great  mistake.  Children  without 
religion,  and  who  think  of  nothing  but  pleasing  them- 
selves with  their  horses,  and  their  whips,  and  their 
coaches,  and  dolls,  and  fine  clothes,  and  ornaments,  or 
any  other  earthly  thing,  may  often  in  company  make 
a  great  deal  of  noise,  and  appear  very  happy.  But 
follow  them  home,  and  see  them  in  their  private  bed- 
chamber, or  in  the  company  of  their  own  brothers  and 
sisters,  and  you  will  often  find  them  sulky  and  silent, 
or  fierce  and  quarrelsome,  dissatisfied  with  the  plea- 
sures they  have,  unthankful,  fretful,  wearied  with 
themselves  and  every  body  about  them,  disobedient  to 
their  parents,  and  murmuring  at  every  task  and  busi- 
ness which  they  are  set  to  do :  while  the  holy  child, 
though  perhaps  less  noisy  and  more  sober  and  moderate 
at  his  play,  will  take  home  with  him  a  gentle,  affectionate, 
and  calm  temper ;  wherever  he  is,  you  will  find  in  him 
the  same  happy  disposition;  and  every  bee  that  buzzes 
in  the  sunshine  before  his  window,  the  morning  song  of 
the  lark,  and  the  bleating  of  the  lamb  on  the  thymy 
hill,  every  flower  that  grows  on  the  green  bank,  is  plea- 
sant to  him;  he  is  always  humble,  grateful,  and  thank- 
ful; and  he  enjoys  a  thousand  pleasures  which  the 
worldly  child  cannot  taste,  because  his  heart  is  filled 
with  pride  and  selfishness.  Do  not  then  believe  the 
wicked  world.  Do  not  believe  any  body  that  tells  you 
it  is  dull  to  be  religious:  for  though  religion  may  tell 
you  to  mourn,  it  is  in  order  that  you  may  be  comfort- 
2 


14  ADDRESSES   TO   CHILDREN 

ed.    But  perhaps  you  do  not  know  what  is  meant  by< 
that  mourning  which  God  requires  of  you.    Mourning  i 
generally  means  a  mild  kind  of  sorrow,  like  the  com-; 
plaining  of  doves :  there  is  nothing  violent  in  it.    If  youf 
are  poor  in  spirit,  my  children,  you  know  that  you  are 
sinners ;  "  you  have  done  those  things  which  you  ought 
not  to  have  done,  and  you  have  left  undone  those  things 
which  you  ought  to  have  done,  and  there  is  no  health 
m  you."    Now,  it  is  not  enough  that  you  should  know 
this:  you  ought  to  feel  some  degree  of  sorrow  for  your 
sins ;  not  because  your  sorrow  can  make  any  atone- 
ment for  your  sins,  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  can  alone 
wash  them  away,  but  it  is  fitting,  when  children  offend 
a  very  dear  and  kind  Father,  that  they  should  feel 
sorry  and  ashamed  on  account  of  it,  and  if  we  are  not 
sorry  for  our  sins,  it  is  likely  that  we  shall  soon  fall 
into  them  again. 

This  godly  sorrow  or  mourning  is  not  natural  to  us ; 
the  natural  effect  of  sin  is  only  to  make  us  feel  a  dread 
of  God ;  but  godly  sorrow  teaches  us  to  love  him ;  there- 
fore, as  it  is  not  natural  to  us,  we  must  take  pains  to 
feel  it.  I  will  give  you  a  few  easy  rules  to  help  you  in 
gaining  this  sorroAv.  The  first  of  these  directions  is, 
that  you  should  pray  to  God  to  give  you  a  tender  con- 
science, which  may  quickly  let  you  know  when  you 
fall  into  sin ;  and  this  you  should  pray  for  every  day. 
And  next  I  advise  you,  once  a  day  at  least,  to  get  by 
yourself  for  a  few  minutes :  if  you  have  no  other  time, 
you  can  certainly  shut  your  eyes  on  the  world  as  soon 
as  you  lie  down  in  .bed,  instead  of  entering  into  vain 
and  foolish  discourse  with  your  bedfellow;  and  before 
you  close  your  eyes  in  sleep,  call  to  mind  all  the  naugh- 
ty things  you  have  done  that  day,  whether  in  thought, 


ON    THE    BEATITUDES.  15 

rord,  or  deed ;  begging  God  first  to  show  you,  by  the 
.glit  of  his  Spirit,  all  the  sin  that  is  in  your  heart,  and 
hen  humbly  beseeching  him  to  wash  you  from  it  in  the 
ilood  of  his  Son.  There  is,  besides,  one  day -in  the 
even  on  which  you  go  to  the  house  of  God,  and  on  that 
ay,  and  in  that  house,  you  join  with  the  people  of 
*od  in  calling  yourself  a  miserable  sinner.  Before  that 
Lay  comes,  or  at  least  before  the  hour  of  service  ar- 
ives,  I  would  advise  you  to  get  by  yourself,  and  ex- 
imine  yourself  a  little  more  particularly,  that  you  may 
oin  in  the  confession  of  your  sins  with  a  true  heart.  , 
\nd  still  further,  I  would  beg  of  you  whenever  you 
ind  out  that  you  have  sinned  against  God,  whatever 
business  your  are  about,  or  in  whatever  company  you 
may  be,  that  you  lift  up  your  heart  to  God,  and  tell 
him  in  your  secret  thoughts,  that  you  have  faUen 
into  sin,  and  ask  for  his  pardon  and  grace. 

Thus,  my  beloved  children,  you  will  learn  to  know 
quickly  when  you  are  going  wrong,  and  your  consci- 
ences will  become  tender.  You  will  learn  to  mourn 
with  godly  sorrow  for  your  sins.  You  will  be  plants 
of  the  Lord's  planting,  watered  daily  by  his  Spirit,  and 
the  sunshine  of  God's  countenance  will  shine  upon  you, 
and  cheer  and  refresh  you ;  and  mourning  according 
to  God's  will,  you  will  have  much  less  worldly  sorrow. 
For  it  is  pride,  and  discontent,  and  selfishness,  which 
cause  our  real  misery,  and  from  these  you  will  gradual- 
ly be  delivered.  O  my  children,  let  me  entreat  you 
to  mourn  in  sincerity  for  your  sins,  and  then  shall  you 
be  comforted,  abundantly  comforted,  as  I  shall  now 
proceed,  in  the  second  place,  to  show  you. 

Blessed  are  they  that  mourn,  for  they  shall  be 
comforted.    Holy  children,  who  are  humbled  for  their 


|6  ADDRESSES   TO    CHILDREN 

sins,  and  truly  mourn  for  them,  will  in  many  ways  be  j 
comforted.  They  will  naturally  have  much  comfort; 
that  other  children  know  not  of.  We  will  suppose  a  | 
family-,  or  a  nursery,  or  a  school-room  of  children,  who 
are  poor  in  spirit,  and  who  mourn  for  their  sins.  How 
ready  they  will  be  to  forgive  each  other !  because  they 
know  they  have  much  to  be  forgiven  themselves ;  they 
will  be  cheerful  and  thankful  at  all  times,  because  their 
hearts  are  right  with  God.  When  the  rain  falls  fast,  and 
they  are  deprived  of  some  pleasant  scheme  abroad ,  when 
there  are  no  new  playthings  within  doors,  and  every 
thing  seems  very  dull ;  yet  they  will  be  comforted,  be- 
cause they  are  in  good  humour  with  each  other,  and  ma- 
ny a  sweet  token  of  love  will  those  children  be  receiving 
from  their  parents  who  are  always  fearing  to  offend  them. 
Naughty  children  are  often  driven  from  their  parents1 
company,  while  good  children  are  permitted  to  enjoy 
it.  Many  a  pleasant  game  of  play  will  the  gentle  and 
humble  enjoy;  while  the  wordly-minded  are  too  dis- 
contented, and  too  proud,  to  agree  together  in  what  way 
they  will  spend  their  time.  Besides,  humble  children 
are  always  glad  to  help  each  other ;  while  the  proud  and 
selfish  often  find  pleasure  in  taking  each  others'  play- 
things away,  and  in  vexing  and  teasing  one  another  in 
a  thousand  ways.  These  are  but  a  small  part  of  the 
comforts  which  humble  children  who  fear  sin  enjoy ; 
and  many  others,  I  trust,  you  will  find  out  by  your 
own  experience.  But  there  is  a  higher  and  better  way 
in  which  they  will  be  comforted  by  God  himself. 
Great  peace  have  they  who  love  thy  law,  is  said  in 
the  Bible,  and  there  are  many,  many  verses  in  the 
Bible,  which  I  would  have  you  look  for  and  learn  by 
heart,  which  tell  of  the  blessedness  those  children  know 


ON    THE    BEATITUDES.  17 

who  are  little  in  their  own  eyes,  and  tremble  at  God's 
word.  To  such  as  these  will  God  look.  Though  we 
may  have  lived  many  years  in  the  world,  we  cannot 
know  all  the  comforts  which  God's  children  enjoy  even 
in  this  life;  but  some  of  them  I  will  tell  you.  When 
holy  children  are  sick,  they  are  not  impatient,  they  do 
no  fret,  and  God  is  very  present  with  them,  to  comfort 
them.  When  they  have  any  duty  to  do  which  they  do 
not  like,  any  difficult  task  or  business  appointed  them, 
they  set  about  it  cheerfully,  because  they  are  humble, 
and  they  have  learned  to  conquer  their  self-will :  they 
look  up  to  God  for  help,  and  wisdom,  and  direction, 
and  they  are  supported  and  strengthened,  and,  when 
need  be,  comforted ;  while  idle  and  wilful  children  lay 
up  for  themselves  a  multitude  of  sorrows.  If  they  are 
laughed  at  for  walking  in  the  ways  of  God,  and  taking 
it  patiently,  without  giving  way  to  wicked  shame, 
then  He  will  be  with  them  to  comfort  them.  Even 
when  they  are  mourning  for  their  sins,  and  casting 
themselves  at  their  Saviour's  feet  as  sinners,  he  is  more 
especially  with  them  to  comfort  them. 

But  how  shall  I  explain  to  you  the  different  ways  in 
which  the  God  of  love  comforts  his  children  ?  Can  I 
tell  you  how  the  wind  blows  ?  whence  it  cometh,  and 
whither  it  goeth  ?  but  I  know  it  blows,  because  I  am 
refreshed  by  sweet  gales  over  banks  of  flowers,  over 
mountains,  over  seas.  So  is  the  Spirit  of  God :  we 
know  not  whence  he  cometh ;  but  we  know  that  he 
breathes  upon  us  the  airs  of  Paradise,  because  we  are 
strengthened  with  heavenly  strength,  we  are  made  able 
to  do  God's  work,  and  are  comforted  with  his  peace. 
But  it  is  not  only  in  this  world,  that  those  who  mourn 
shall  be  comforted ;  it  is  more  especially  in  Heaven  : 
2* 


IB  ADDRESSES   TO    CHILDREN 

there  God  shall  wipe  away  all  tears  from  our  eyes; 
there  we  shall  be  comforted,  even  as  one  whom  his 
mother  comforteth.  O  happy  children !  who,  having 
walked  a  while  in  God's  ways  here,  are  admitted  to 
his  presence  for  ever ;  for  in  his  presence  there  isful-  ] 
ness  of joy \  and  at  his  right  hand  there  are  plea- 
sures for  evermore.    (Psalm  xvi.  11.) 

Let  me  now  ask  you,  my  beloved  children,  whether 
you  are  of  the  number  of  those  who  mourn  for  sin. 
Perhaps  you  have  never  even  thought  what  is  meant 
by  mourning  for  sin,  or  have  not  inquired  whether 
you  had  any  sin  to  mourn  for.  If  you  have  mourned 
for  any  thing,  it  has  been  for  a  long  lesson,  or  the  loss 
of  some  pleasure,  for  the  breaking  of  a  favorite  play- 
thing, for  a  rainy  day  when  you  wanted  to  go  out ;  for 
these  things  you  have  mourned,  and  perhaps  with  feel- 
ings of  rebellion  against  the  appointment  of  your  mas- 
ters or  parents,  or  even  of  God :  and  perhaps  you  have 
shown  this  wicked  feeling,  by  your  selfish  behaviour, 
and  quarrelsome  temper  with  your  brothers  and  sisters, 
and  even  with  other  persons,  where  fear  has  not  re- 
strained you.  Alas  !  I  have  very,  very  often  seen  this 
wicked  mourning  among  children,  even  children  who 
know  better  things.  O  that  I  had  the  tongue  of  angels 
to  persuade  you,  that  this  is  the  sorrow  of  the  world 
that  worketh  death !  If  you  had  never  sinned  before, 
this  wordly  sorrow  needs  true  mourning.  This  is  re- 
bellion against  God's  will :  it  is  the  fruit  of  that  corrupt 
nature  which  you  brought  into  the  world.  Think  not 
that  it  is  the  sin  of  a  child,  which  will  leave  you  when 
you  grow  up :  if  you  do  not  strive  against  it,  it  will  be- 
come stronger  as  you  grow  older.  It  will  not  leave 
you  even  when  you  die :  but  if  not  subdued  before  death, 


ON    THE    BEATITUDES.  19 

t  will  be  your  tormentor  afterwards,  even  through  the 
mdless  ages  of  eternity.  Now,  my  children,  be  per- 
suaded !  now,  now  to  sorrow  for  sin,  and  for  this  sin 
soecially  of  ungodly  sorrow;  for  that  unhumbled, 
,roud,  contentious  spirit  which  makes  you  rise  against 
ny  disappointment,  or  any  crossing  of  your  will.  Be 
vise  now,  my  children ;  lay  hold  on  salvation  while  th-3 
lay  of  grace  lasts.  Behold,  now  is  the  accepted  time ; 
ehold,  now  is  the  day  of  salvation.  (2  Cor.  vi.  2.) 
n  a  little  while,  if  you  shut  your  eyes  to  the  things 
>elonging  to  your  peace,  they  will  be  hid  from  you  for 
ver:  even  this  warning  will  rise  up  in  judgment 
igainst  you. 

But  to  you  who  have  already  begun  to  mourn  for 
tout  sins,  or  desire  to  begin  to  mourn  for  them,  I 
vould  say,  press  on :  the  way  is  narrow,  and  there  are 
nany  dangers  and  enemies  on  either  side  of  the  road, 
nd  you  must  take  care  not  to  turn  either  to  the  right 
tand  or  the  left :  but  the  way  itself  is  pleasant  and 
afe.  And  if  you  go  on  in  your  way  weeping,  bearing 
>recious  seed,  you  shall  doubtless  come  again  with  joy, 
•ringing  your  sheaves  with  you. 


ADDRESS    III. 


"  Blessed  are  the  meek :  for  they  shall  inherit  the  earth."— Matt.  v.  5. 

I  have  often  heard  it  said,  that  if  a  person  could  see 
limself  in  a  passion — could  see  how  ugly  he  looks,  he 
srould  never  fall  into  one  again.  It  is  indeed  very  true, 
hat  a  person  in  a  passion  looks  very  ugly.    When  a 


20  ADDRESSES   TO   CHILDREN 

little  child  is  stamping,  and  screaming,  and  kicking 
you  would  be  tempted  to  run  away  from  him,  as  Iron 
a  wild  beast,  if  you  did  not  know  that  he  was  verj 
weak,  and  was  not  able  to  do  you  any  harm ;  and  even  ai 
older  child,  who  is  ashamed  of  falling  into  a  violent  pas 
sion  like  a  baby,  and  does  not  stamp  and  kick,  has  ye 
a  very  fierce  and  disagreeable  appearance  when  h< 
gives  way  to  angry  and  impetuous  feelings.  But  if  I 
passionate  child  is  disagreeable,  a  meek  one  is  just  a- 
pleasant :  there  is  a  continual  sunshine  on  his  coim 
tenance,  and  he  does  not  lose  his  gentleness  and  com 
posure,  however  he  is  treated.  He  is  like  a  river  flow 
ing  calmly  along ;  while  the  passionate  child  is  like  th» , 
sea,  continually  casting  up  mire  and  dirt. 

Every  body  will  say,  "  I  should  like  to  be  meefe! 
and  I  had  rather  not  be  passionate;  a  meek  persoi| 
must  always  be  happy,  while  a  passionate  person  i! 
continually  in  trouble."  But  saying  and  feeling  thfl 
will  not  make  you  meek.  It  is  a  very  difficult  thing  t< 
be  meek;  and  the  foundation  of  this  sweet  temper  mJ 
be  laid  low,  even  in  true  humility  of  heart.  Those  wh< 
are  poor  in  spirit,  and  mourn  for  sin,  can  alone  be  truh 
meek.  " 

I  shall  now  try  to  show  you,  first,  what  meekness  is  , 
and  then  explain  to  you  how  it  is  the  fruit  of  humilitd 
only;  and,  afterwards,  we  shall  be  able  to  understand 
in  some  little  degree,  how  the  meek  inherit  the  earth 

Meekness  is  that  amiable  and  gentle  temper  which  i, 
true  Christian  displays  in  his  conduct  towards  his  fel 

1^V1^e^tUreS'     Y°U  have  learned'  PerhaPs>  ^  youij 
Child's  Catechism,  that  Moses  was  the  meekest  mai 
that  ever  lived :   and  when  you  read,  in  the  Book  o 
fcxodus,  and  the  following  Books  of  Moses,  the  account 


ON    THE    BEATITUDES.  21 

f  his  leading  the  People  of  Israel  out  of  Egypt  to  the 
orders  of  the  Land  of  Canaan,  you  will  see  m  his  con- 
uct  a  pattern  of  true  meekness  which  will  be  mstruc- 
ve  to  you.  His  temper  was  tried  in  many  ways  by 
Le  People  of  Israel,  and  most  persons  would  have 
een  so  provoked  by  their  conduct  towards  him,  as  to 
lave  fallen  into  violent  passions  with  them ;  yet  we 
lever  read  of  his  giving  way  to  passion  except  once,  on 
/Inch  occasion  God  was  much  displeased  with  him ; 
irhich  shows  to  us,  that  the  sin  of  undue  anger  was  al- 
ways, in  the  sight  of  God,  a  very  great  sin. 

The  pattern  otaieekness  which  the  history  of  Moses 
laces  before  us  in  the  Old  Testament,  is  well  worth 
ur  imitating ;  but  there  is  a  still  more  excellent  pattern, 
l  more  nobfe  and  glorious  lesson  of  meekness,  which 
V  Saviour  sets  us  in  the  New  Testament.  Let  me 
\eg  of  you  to  read  the  Gospels  with  great  attention, 
3r  the  purpose  of  observing  and  admiring  the  meek- 
kess  which  was  constantly  to  be  seen  in  our  blessed 
Saviour's  conduct.  Throughout  the  whole  time  that 
\e  taught,  the  people  publicly,  he  was  tried  by  the 
IcorTs,  the  sneers,  the  rudeness  of  his  enemies,  and  fa- 
igued  by  the  ignorance  and  stupidity  of  his  friends; 
ill  that  last  great  week  arrived,  in  which  his  enemies 
iad  their  complete  triumph  over  him,  and  all  his  friends 
orsook  him.  But  when,  O  when,  in  all  this  time,  did 
tis  meekness  forsake  him?  He  was  not,  indeed,  back- 
yard to  reprove  sin;  but  he  always  did  it  in  such  a 
fepirit  as  showed  that  he  was  angry  with  people  for 

Eining  against  God,  and  not  because  he  had  been  teas- 
or  offended. 
Now  meekness,  though  much  praised,  is  but  little 
tderstood,  and  little  practised.    Indeed,  I  am  sorry 


22  ADDRESSES   TO   CHILDREN 

to  say,  that  pains  are  often  taken  to  teach  little  children 
a  spirit  which  is  quite  opposite  to  meekness.  I  have 
seen  a  little  child  encouraged  by  the  smiles  of  grown- 
up people  for  shrugging  up  its  shoulders,  and  saying, 
"  No,"  in  a  very  cross  voice ;  for  throwing  away  in 
disdain  something  which  has  been  given  to  it ;  and  for 
behaving  iruso  rude  and  proud  a  way  as  would  never 
have  been  endured,  had  not  the  child  been  young,  and 
small,  and  .pretty.  Thus  do  people  water  and  cherish 
the  bud  which,  when  it  becomes  a  full-blown  flower, 
they  wish  often  to  pluck  off  and  cast  away.  Yery  few 
children  reach  four  or  five  years  of  age,  without  hav-  , 
ing  gained  some  habit  of  fretfulness  or  impatience ;  and 
perhaps  no  child  is  without  a  natural  disposition  to 
some  bad  temper.  In  a  large  family,  in  a  nursery,  or  j 
a  school,  how  many  bad  tempers  do  you  see  prevailing !  ( 
how  much  selfishness  and  unchristian  vulgarity  I 
Where  do  you  see  children  civil  and  obliging  to  each 
other,  bearing  with  each  other,  ready  to  give  up  their 
own  will,  kind,  tender-hearted,  forgiving  one  another? 
Yet  all  this  they  would  be  if  they  were  truly  meek ; 
and  all  this  we  ought  to  try  to  be,  and  in  a  measure 
shall  be,  if  we  endeavour  to  gain  this  heavenly  temper 
of  meekness  in  the  right  way,  for  it  is  the  fruit  of  rn> 
mility  alone ;  none  but  the  humble  can  be  meek. 

In  order  to  be  meek,  we  must  feel  disposed  to  be  very 
patient,  very  forgiving ;  and  who  is  so  likely  to  be  pa- 
tient as  that  man,  or  that  child,  who  feels  that  God  is 
very  patient,  very  forgiving  with  him.  I  will  read  you 
a  story  about  this,  which  our  Saviour  himself  tells.— , 
There  was  a  certain  creditor  which  had  two  debt- 
ors: the  one  owed  Jive  hundred  pence,  and  the  other 
fifty :-  and  when  they  had  nothing  to  pay,  he  frankly 


ON   THE   BEATITUDES.  23 

forgave  them  both.  Tell  me,  therefore,  which  of 
them  will  love  him  most?  Simon  answered  and 
said,  I  suppose  that  he  to  whom  he  forgave  most. 
And  he  said  unto  him,  Thou  hast  rightly  judged. 
And  he  turned  to  the  woman,  and  said  unto  Simon, 
Seest  thou  this  woman?  I  entered  into  hine  house, 
thou  gavest  me  no  water  for  my  feet;  but  she  hath 
washed  my  feet  with  tears,  and  wiped  them  with  the 
hairs  of  her  head.  Thou  gavest  me  no  kiss :  but 
this  woman,  since  the  time  I  came  in,  hath  not  ceas- 
ed to  kiss  my  feet.  Mine  head  with  oil  thou  didst 
not  anoint:  but  this  woman  hath  anointed  my  feet 
with  ointment.  Wherefore,  I  say  unto  thee,  Her 
ins,  which  are  many,  are  forgiven  ;  for  she  loved 
nuch:  but  to  whom  little  is  forgiven,  the  same  loveth 
ittle.  An  d  he  said  unto  her,  Thy  sins  are  forgiven. 
And  they  that  sat  at  meat  with  Mm  began  to  say 
within  themselves,  Who  is  this  that  forgiveth  sins 
ilso?  And  he  said  to  the  woman,  Thy  faith  hath 
saved  thee  ;  go  in  peace.  (Luke  vii.  41 — 50.)  Be- 
ides  this,  a  humble  child  knows  that  he  can  do  nothing 
Tood  of  himself;  therefore,  when  he  strives  to  be  meek,  he 
ooks  up  to  God  for  help.  A  proud  person  may  appear 
;o  be  meek  now  and  then,  but  none  but  the  really  hum- 
Die  can  be  meek  at  all  times. 

1  I  come  now  to  explain  to  you  how  it  is  that  the  meek 
Inherit  the  earth.  And  here  I  must  only  enter  into  a 
few  of  the  ways  in  which  they  will  do  so :  more  will 
an  fold  themselves  to  you  as  you  become  better  ac- 
quainted with  the  Bible.  In  a  plain  and  natural  way 
the  meek  inherit  the  earth— Better  is  a  dinner  of 
herbs  where  love  is,  than  a  stalled  ox  and  hatred 
therewith.   (Prov.  xv.  17.)    Every  creature  of  God  is 


24  ADDRESSES   TO    CHILDREN 

designed  to  give  us  a  certain  degree  of  pleasure  or  pro- 
fit, if  we  receive  it  rightly :  and  the  reason  why  people 
in  general  do  not  enjoy  the  blessings  put  in  their  way, 
is,  not  because  they  have  not  enough  of  them,  but  be- 
cause they  do  not  receive  them  in  a  right  spirit ;  they 
are  not  only  unthankful  for  them,  but  are  contentious 
and  quarrelsome  about  them.  For  instance :  I  have 
seen  a  child,  in  full  health,  playing  with  many  plea- 
sant brothers  and  sisters,  and  yet  out  of  spirits,  sullen, 
silent,  and  over-looking  a  variety  of  pleasures  before 
him,  because  he  is  disappointed  of  some  trifling  thing 
he  wants,  or  because  some  favorite  scheme  or  game  o 
play  is  not  managed  exactly  according  to  his  taste 
while,  on  the  other  hand,  I  have  seen  a  child,  whom 
his  brothers  and  sisters  have  unkindly  robbed  of  some 
of  his  little  possessions,  thankfully  and  cheerfully  en- 
joy the  rest. 

How  often  do  we  see  little  children  fretting  in  a  nur- 
sery, because  they  all  want  the  same  thing  at  the  same 
time !  while  brothers  and  sisters  who  dwell  together 
in  unity,  and  are  ready  to  give  up  to  one  another,  are 
always  cheerful  and  good-humoured,  and  really  enjoy 
every  pleasure  that  comes  in  their  way,  and  doubly 
enjoy  it,  because  they  have  learned  to  be  pleased  with 
seeing  their  companions  pleased.  Besides  all  this, 
there  is  a  peculiar  blessing  which  God  will  give  to  the 
meek :  and  whether  they  have  much  or  little  of  the 
good  things  of  this  world,  this  blessing  shall  rest  upon 
what  they  have,  as  dew  comes  down  upon  flowers,  and 
brings  forth  their  sweetness.  And  when  this  life  shaH 
be  ended,  the  meek  shall  indeed  inherit  abundance  of 
life :  in  the  land  of  promise  he  shall  have  a  goodly 
heritage,  even  for  ever  and  ever. 


ON   THE   BEATITUDES.  25 

In  the  last  place,  let  me  earnestly  entreat  yon,  my 
>eloved  children,  to  examine  yourselves  whether  you 
lave  this  Christian  grace  of  meekness.     Some  children 
nay  be  ready  to  answer,  "  I  am  meek ;»  because  they 
are  of  a  quiet  disposition,  and  would  rather  go  without 
i  thing  than  have  any  trouble  in  keeping  or  getting  it. 
fchis  temper  does  not  always  proceed  from  meekness: 
t  may  come  from  indolence,  or  the  mere  love  of  being 
auiet  •  there  may  be  nothing  in  it  really  humble,  pa- 
tient, or  self-denying.    Let  me  ask  you,  are  you  never 
disturbed  by  any  thing?   Though  few  things  disturb 
you,  yet  some,  no  doubt,  do:  try  to  recollect  whether 
this  is  not  the  case;  and  ask  yourselves  whether  you 
strive  to  get  the  better  of  this  disturbed  feeling,  or  whe- 
ther you  give  way  to  it.    You  are  not  meek,  because 
you  are  seldom  tempted  to  be  cross  or  impatient,  but 
because  you  strive  against  ill-temper  and  impatience 
whenever  you  are  disposed  to  feel  them,  and  strive 
(against  them  in  a  right  way.    Very  few  of  you,  I  think, 
will  make  this  excuse,  that  you  are  not  easily  pro- 
voked; at  least  if  you  examine  your  heart  and  beha- 
viour diligently,  you  will  find  that  you  are  in  general 
very  impatient  of  control.    Boys,   especially,   often 
allow  themselves  in  a  noisy,  imperious  way  of  speak- 
ing, because  they  think  it  is  manly.    They  do  not  re^ 
member  that  the  truly  brave  are  almost  always  gentle: 
it  is  false  courage  that  is  fierce  and  bullying.    A  boy 
who  is  gentle  and  affectionate  to  his  sisters  and  little 
brothers,  who  is  not  easily  provoked  by  their  silly 
tricks  or  silly  language,  will  be  most  likely  to  protect 
them  from  any  real  danger.    Meekness  shows  self- 
command  ;  and  a  boy  who  cannot  command  his  tem- 
per on  common  occasions,  will  seldom  be  master  of 
3 


26  ADDRESSES  TO  CHILDREN 


himself  in  times  of  danger.    Ask  yourselves,  my  dear  j  J 
children,  whether  you  do  not  give  way  to  teasing,  fret-  i 
fill  temper.    Often,  when  a  little  boy  or  girl  seems  dis-  J I 
posed  to  be  cross,  its  brothers  and  sisters  take  a  plea-  ! 
sure  in  teasing  it,  and  making  it  still  more  out  of  tem- 
per ;  while,  by  a  little  kind  treatment,  its  fit  of  ill-tem- 
per might  have  been  prevented.    Some  children,  if  . 
they  think  they  are  not  treated  with  proper  respect  by 
those  younger  than  themselves,  will  find  fault  with 
them  in  the  most  violent  tones  of  pride  and  passion. 
What  flat  contradiction,  what  positive  assertions,  what 
unkind  and  teasing  language,  what  fierce,  what  que- 
rulous voices,  do  we  often  hear  in  the  nurseries  where 
the  children  of  Christian  parents  are  trained  up !  Some- 
times, though  but  seldom  I  hope,  I  am  ashamed  almost 
to  name  such  things,  even  pinching,  beating,  and  box- 
ing of  ears  have  been  heard  of.    But  I  would  draw  a 
veil  over  things  so  shocking. 

O  my  beloved  children  !  these  things  ought  not  to 
be.  Will  you,  who  are  weekly,  if  not  daily,  instruct- 
ed in  the  things  of  God — you,  who  were  brought  in 
your  infant  days  to  the  font  of  baptism,  on  whose  ten- 
der foreheads  the  cross  was  marked  as  a  sign  that  you 
should  be  the  servants  of  Christ — will  you  live  toge 
ther  like  the  brute  beasts  that  perish  1  What  could  Hea- 
then children  do  worse  ?  Oh!  shame! 

A  Christian  nursery  should  be  a  scene  of  brotherly 
love,  of  infant  worship.  Here  we  should  see  the  elder 
brothers  and  sisters,  by  their  own  examples,  and  gentle 
instruction  and  readiness  to  bear  with  the  little  trouble- 
some ways  of  their  lisping  companions,  moulding  the 
little  creatures,  fair  and  lovely  in  outward  form,  into 
habits  of  piety,  and  every  thing  pure,  and  gentle,  and 


ON  THE  BEATITUDES.  27 

bvely  in  inward  character,  repressing  every  angry 
me  and  look,  exhorting  and  encouraging  to  love. 
,et  the  baby-arm,  instead  of  striking  its  nurse  or  sis- 
3r,  be  taught  to  stroke ;  the  lip  to  smile,  instead  of 
out;  the  struggling  shoulder  be  gently  put  down; 
nd,  in  its  stead,  the  knee  taught  to  bend  in  prayer ; 
jnd  the  baby  that  now  selfishly  swallows  its  cake,  be 
nstructed  to  share  it  with  its  little  companions. 

O  my  children !  you  who  are  of  an  age  to  under- 
itand,  I  fear  you  have  been  partakers  of  this  guilt,  not 
mly  as  infants  yourselves,  but  by  encouraging  and  pro- 
noting  it  in  others,  after  you  came  of  an  age  to  know 
ts  evil.    If  you  are  seven  or  eight  years  of  age,  or 
3ven  younger,  you  are  able  to  do  much  to  hinder  all 
•hese  sad  works  of  darkness.    Awake!   awake!  see 
your  sin  in  living  in  evil  tempers  yourselves,  and  m 
encouraging  them  in  these  little  fair  ones.    Cast  your- 
selves at  your  Saviour's  feet,  humbled  for  your  sins, 
and  truly  mourning  for  them.    Seek  to  be  washed  from 
them  in  his  blood,  and  pray  for  a  new  spirit,  even  the 
spirit  of  meekness ;  and  henceforth  labour  to  live  a  new 
life  yourselves,   and  to  encourage  a  new  spirit,  and 
establish  new  habits,  even  the  habits  of  love,  in  the 
nursery  or  school-room  where  you  dwell.    And  O 
that  this  reproach  might  be  rolled  away  from  among 
us !  and  that  a  Christian  school-room  and  a  Christian 
nursery  might  no  longer  be  a  cage  of  every  unclean 
beast,  but  a  habitation  of  holy,  gentle,  pious  children, 
loving  and  beloved,  no  more  the  disgrace  of  the  Chris- 
tian name,  but  its  praise  and  ornament !  so  that  it  may 
be  said  of  our  children,  as  it  was  of  old  of  the  Christian 
world,  "  See  how  these  infants  love  one  another !" 


2&  ADDRESSES   TO   CHILDREN 

ADDRESS  IV. 


•'  Blceecd  are  they  which  do  hunger  and  thirst  after  righteousness : 
they  shall  be  filled."— Matt.  v.  6. 


Our  Saviour,  in  order  to  teach  us  what  our  feelings 
ought  to  be  about  heavenly  things,  makes  use  of  the 
plainest  comparisons  to  common  things,  such  as  even 
a  littb  child  can  understand.  Every  child  knows  what 
is  mean:  by  hunger  and  thirst,  and  therefore  he  is  pre- 
pared to  understand  what  those  feelings  of  our  souls 
are  which  our  Saviour  calls  blessed. 

I  shall  make  some  remarks  upon  these  feelings  and 
desires  which  our  Saviour  calls  hunger  and  thirst  after 
righteousness ;  I  shall  try  to  explain  what  that  righte- 
ousness is  which  we  are  so  greatly  to  desire;  and  then 
show  how  those  persons  who  thus  hunger  and  thirst 
shall  be  filled. 

Were  I  to  invite  a  party  of  little  ones  to  my  house, 
who  had  been  many  hours  without  food,  and  were  I  to 
spread  a  table  for  them  covered  with  bread,  and  milk, 
and  fruit,  and  other  refreshing  food,  I  am  very  sure 
that  they  would  no  sooner  see  or  smell  the  repast,  than 
they  would  be  filled  with  strong  desires  for  it.  And 
if  I  were  to  say,  "  Before  you  partake  of  this  meal,  you 
must  do  such  and  such  a  thing ;  you  must  run  a  long 
race;  you  must  gather  such  and  such  flowers;  or  you 
must  learn  such  a  task ;"  I  am  quite  certain  that  their 
desires  after  the  food  would  set  the  little  hungry  ones 
nimbly  and  cheerfully  to  work ;  and  while  they  work- 
ed, many  a  longing  look  would  be  cast  on  the  table, 


ON   THE   BEATITUDES.  29 

and  many  a  pleasant  hope  would  be  inspired  by  the 
sweet  smell  of  strawberries  and  other  delicate  fruit. 
My  children,  as  would  be  such  a  table  to  your  perish- 
ing bodies,  so  should  righteousness  be  to  your  sculs. 

Righteousness  is  the  forgiveness  of  your  sins ;  it  is 
complete  restoration  to  the  favour  of  your  heavenly 
Father,  through  the  merits  of  your  dying  Saviour ;  it 
is  holiness ;  it  is  being  cleansed  from  sin,  from  selfish- 
ness, from  pride,  from  ill-temper ;  it  is  joy ;  it  is  peace ; 
— it  is  being  made  like  God  in  holiness  and  happiness. 

Children  who  know  the  evil  of  their  own  hearts, 
who  mourn  for  their  sins,  who  desire  to  live  a  life  of 
obedience  to  God  and  of  love  to  their  fellow-creatures, 
will  surely  earnestly  desire  the  forgiveness  of  their  sins, 
and  that  they  should  be  made  pure  and  holy ;  that  they 
may  enjoy  the  sunshine  of  God's  favour,  be  filled  with 
peace  and  joy  in  believing,  and  show  forth  the  fruits 
of  love  in  their  lives. 

Righteousness  may  here  mean,  also,  those  means  of 
grace  by  which  our  souls  are  strengthened  and  refresh- 
ed— our  heavenly  manna,  which  we  feed  on  in  our  way 
to  Zion — the  house  of  God — private  and  family  prayer, 
or  the  joining  of  one  or  two  brothers  or  sisters  in  prayer 
together — the  singing  of  psalms  and  hymns — and  more 
than  these,  it  may  mean  the  Supper  of  the  Lamb,  the 
wedding  feast,  when  the  followers  of  Christ  shall  sit 
down  with  him  in  his  heavenly  kingdom ;  where  they 
shall  hunger  no  more,  neither  thrist  any  more  ;  nei- 
ther shall  the  sun  light  on  them,  nor  any  heat.  (Rev. 
vii.  16.) 

These,  these  are  things  which  holy  children  should 
hunger  and  thirst  after  with  secret  and  earnest  desires. 

The  goods  things  of  this  world,  those  that  are  inno- 
3* 


30  ADDRESSES  TO  CHILDREN 

cent  and  lawful,  we  may  in  a  degree  desire,  for  God 
has  given  us  all  things  richly  to  enjoy ;  but  they  must 
not  have  the  first  place  in  our  hearts,  for  they  are  vain 
and  perishing.  Riches  make  to  themselves  wings, 
and  flee  away.  (Prov.  xxiii.  5.)  The  six  days  bring 
their  pleasures,  and  we  may  enjoy  them  thankfully: 
but  we  should  strive  to  love  the  seventh  day  best.  Of 
Sunday  we  should  be  able  to  say,  A  day  in  thy  courts 
is  better  than  a  thousand.  (Psalms  lxxxiv.  10.)  >  The 
days  of  our  life  have  many  enjoyments,  but  they  will 
soon  be  passed  away.  Our  life  is  as  a  tale  that  is  told ; 
it  is  like  the  track  of  an  arrow  which  parteth  the  air, 
but  the  way  of  it  cannot  be  known.  But  heavenly 
tilings  cannot  pass  away,  they  cannot  become  old.  In 
Hea  en  we  shall  see  God  face  to  face.  There  we  shall 
be. made  righteous  even  as  he  is  righteous :  we  shall  be 
purified  from  sin.  Let  us  love  to  think  of  eternal  glory, 
when  time  and  death  shall  have  passed  away  for  ever. 

As  the  hungry  desire  food,  and  as  the  thirsty  desire 
drink,  so  let  our  souls  hunger  and  thirst  after  pardon 
and  holiness,  after  the  means  of  grace  here,  and  the 
presence  of  God  for  ever ;  and  then,  as  surely  as  the 
words  of  Christ  are  truth  itself,  so  surely  we  shall  be 
filled. 

The  brutes  that  perish  cannot  desire  heavenly  things ; 
they  desire  food,  and  their  heavenly  Father  filleth  them. 
Will  he,  think  you,  take  less  thought  for  us?  are  we 
not  better  than  many  sparrows  ?  If  he  plants  holy  de- 
sires in  our  hearts  by  his  Spirit,  will  he  not  satisfy  them  1 
Yes :  if  we  are  poor  in  spirit,  and  hunger  after  righte- 
ousness, he  will  feed  us  with  the  bread  of  life,  though 
he  may  send  the  rich  empty  away.  If  we  earnestly 
desire  pardon  of  sin,  he  will  assuredly  wash  us  from 


ON    THE    BEATITUDES,  31 

our  sins  in  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ.  If  we  desire 
holiness,  he  will  create  a  new  spirit  within  us,  the 
spirit  of  humility  and  love,  and  mould  us  gradually 
into  his  own  heavenly  image.  If  Ave  earnestly  desire 
to  meet  God  in  his  own  house,  or  in  our  closets  at 
home,  we  shall,  without  doubt,  mid  him ;  and  if  we  long 
for  his  presence  in  glor)*-,  when  we  awake  up,  we  shall 
be  satisfied  with  his  likeness.  If  we  hunger  and  thirst 
after  God,  he  will  fill  us  with  himself.  We  know  but 
little  yet  of  that  joy  which  he  can  give  his  people:  but 
we  are  sure  that  the  more  we  desire  to  know  him,  the 
more  will  he  make  himself  known  to  us. 

In  our  natural  state  we  live  and  die  without  any  live- 
ly desires  after  righteousness.  Happy  then  are  we  when 
we  feel  any  of  this  holy  hunger  and  thirst.  Let  us 
press  forward,  that  our  desires  lifter  righteousness  may 
daily  become  stronger. 

And  now,  my  beloved  children,  let  me  ask  you  if 
you  feel  any  thing  of  this  hungering  and  thirsting  after 
righteousness.  You  may  know  a  good  deal  about  reli- 
gion, and  perhaps  not  appear  to  your  fellow-creatures  to 
do  any  thing  very  wrong,  because  you  are  restrained  by 
wise  parents,,  and  yet  you  may  not  feel  any  real  desires 
in  y  our  heart  after  true  religion.  You  may  read  your 
Bible,  go  to  Church,,  and  answer  any  question  clearly 
and  quickly  that  may  be  asked  you  out  of  the  Bible,  so 
as  to  give  people  a  good  opinion  of  your  religion ;  and 
yet  your  affections  may  not  be  fixed  upon  heavenly 
things.  Do  you  know  what  it  is  to  get  by  yourselves, 
to  mourn  for  sin,  and  pray  earnestly  for  a  new  nature, 
that  you  may  taste  the  peace  of  God  here,  and  be  made 
fit  to  die  and  dwell  with  him  in  Heaven  ?  You  may  ask 
indeed  for  all  these  things  in  words ;  but  when  you  ask 


32  ADDRESSES   TO   CHILDREN 

for  them,  do  you  desire  them  really,  as  you  desire  meat 
and  drink  when  you  are  hungry  and  thirsty  ?  Do  not 
call  yourself  a  child  of  God,  unless  you  have  something 
of  this  childlike  desire  to  please  him,  and  sorrow  for 
offending  him;  unless  you  have  some  desire  to  wait 
upon  him  in  his  courts  on  earth,  and  dwell  in  his  pre- 
sence in  Heaven. 

How  happy  are  those  children  who  live  with  good 
parents  on  earth  !  But  far  more  happy  are  thosevholy 
children  who  are  always  about  their  heavenly  Father's 
business ;  who  talk  the  language  of  Canaan  even  here, 
and  are  longing  for  the  time  when  they  shall  reach  the 
land  of  promise,  and  see  their  Father  face  to  face— 

"  Yes,  e'en  before  we  rise 

To  that  immortal  state, 
The  thoughts  of  such  amazing  bliss 

Should  constant  joys  create." 

This  is  indeed  a  sweet  life !  O  my  children,  should 
any  of  you  turn  your  backs  upon  it  ?  These  privileges 
may  be  yours,  young  as  you  are ;  they  have  been  the 
privileges  of  many.  Some  persons,  who  have  lived  to 
be  old,  and  died  full  of  years  and  holiness,  have  owned 
that  they  had  walked  with  God  from  their  cradle. 
Others  have  been  cut  off  while  very  young,  their  days 
few,  but  ripe  in  grace — 

11  A  flower,  when  ofFer'd  in  the  bud, 
Is  no  vain  sacrifice." 

And  O  ye  young  ones,  that  turn  your  backs  upon 
God!  after  what  are  you  hungering  and  thirsting? 
after  perishing  toys  ?  after  pleasures  that  never  fail  to 
weary  those  who  make  idols  of  them  ?  Whenever  we 
hunger  and  thirst  immoderately  after  worldly  pleasures, 
we  shall  find  them  like  the  apples  of  Sodom,  fair  to : 
look  upon,  but  when  tasted,  full  of  ashes  which  we 


ON    THE    BEATITUDES.  33 

cannot  swallow.  But  give  God  your  heart,  hunger  and 
thirst  after  heavenly  things ;  and  God  will  not  only  fill 
you  with  these,  but  he  will  himself  take  care  that  you 
are  supplied  with  such  a  portion  of  earthly  good  things 
as  are  fit  for  you :  for  your  heavenly  Father  knows  the 
weakness  of  his  little  ones.  Seek  ye  first  the  kingdom 
of  God,  and  his  righteousness  ;  and  all  these  things 
shall  be  added  unto  you.  (Matt.  vi.  33.) 

I  would,  in  the  last  place,  advise  those  children  who 
know  something  of  this  hungering  and  thirsting  after 
righteousness,  and  who  desire  to  know  more  of  it,  and 
make  advances  in  it,  to  form  a  habit  of  meditation  upon 
heavenly  things.  As  the  situation  and  habits  of  chil- 
dren are  different,  it  is  difficult  to  form  plans  and  rules 
that  will  suit  every  child,  and  every  child  must  suit  his 
plans  in  some  degree  to  the  habits  of  his  family :  but 
where  it  can  be  managed,  I  would  recommend  Sun- 
day evening  as  a  good  time  for  heavenly  meditation. 
A.s  I  recommended  self-examination  before  the  morn- 
ing service,  as  disposing  the  heart  to  fervency  of  pray- 
er and  humility  in  God's  worship,  so,  as  a  crown  and 
conclusion  of  the  work  of  the  Sabbath,  I  recommend 
thinking  over  by  yourself  in  an  evening  some  sacred 
and  heavenly  subject:  such  as  the  love  of  God;  the 
sufferings  and  death  of  Christ ;  the  happiness  of  God's 
service;  the  joys  of  Heaven  and  eternal  glory.  Thus 
will  hunger  and  thirst  after  righteousness  be  indeed 
kindled  and  cherished  in  your  bosoms. 
,  Encourage  heavenly-mindedness  in  your  compa- 
nions. Join  with  your  brothers  and  sisters,  at  con- 
venient seasons,  in  serious  conversation,  or  in  prayer, 
iind  singing  of  hymns.  Teach  the  younger  ones,  and 
,try  to  fill  their  little  hearts  with  holy  desires,     Be  dili- 


34  ADDRESSES   TO    CHILDREN 

gent  in  secret  prayer,  and  consider  none  of  the  means 
of  grace  as  mere  forms,  but  expect  to  meet  your  Sa- 
viour in  them.  Even  when  you  are  enjoying  earthly 
pleasures,  sometimes  raise  your  mind  beyond  them  in 
thoughts  like  these :  "  If  God  bestows  such  pleasures 
upon  me,  while  yet  a  sinful  child  below,  what  mus 
those  glories  be  which  he  has  prepared  for  me  above !' 
Encourage  feelings  of  thankfulness  to  God,  for  the  little- 
innocent  pleasures  you  enjoy,  as  well  as  for  the  greater 
blessings  of  life.  In  short,  by  every  means  in  your 
power,  cherish  feelings  of  childlike  delight  and  confi- 
dence in  God.  Put  your  hand  as  it  were  within  his 
as  you  walk  through  the  wilderness  of  this  world,  anc 
ask  him  to  be  your  companion  and  your  guide ;  anc 
without  doubt  he  will  be  with  you  all  your  journey 
through,  as  he  was  with  the  Israelites  of  old.  He  wi 
daily  feed  your  souls  with  manna,  and  bring  you  at 
last  to  the  heavenly  Canaan,  where  you  shall  be  fee 
with  the  grapes  of  the  promised  land ;  you  shall  si 
down  with  your  Saviour,  and  drink  of  the  juice  of  the 
vine  new  in  your  Father's  kingdom. 


ADDRESS   V. 


are  the  merciful:  for  they  shall  obtain  mercy."— Matt.  v.  7. 

The  child  who  knows  the  wickedness  of  his  own 
heart ;  who  feels  that  he  deserves  God's  anger,  and 
mourns  for  his  sins ;  who  is  become  meek  and  lowly 
of  heart,  hungering  and  thirsting  after  a  new  nature ; 
is  very  pitiful  and  merciful  to  other  people :  he  knows 


ON   THE    BEATITUDES.  35 

tat  he  wants  mercy  from  God,  and  therefore  wishes 
show  it  to  others.  We  ask  God  in  our  prayers,  every 
ay,  to  forgive  us  our  trespasses,  as  we  forgive  them 
lat  trespass  against  us ;  and  those  who  really  feel  that 
ley  want  forgiveness,  will  be  always  ready  to  forgive 
thers. 

It  is  one  part  of  mercy  to  forgive  the  sins  of  others ; 
kid  it  is  another  part  to  show  them  kindness  and  love. 
E  is  also  a  part  of  mercy  to  be  kind  and  pitiful  to  brute 
features.  But  however  mercy  may  show  itself,  it  is 
till  a  fruit  of  true  humility. 

Many  persons  are  called  good-natured,  and  really 

re  so  sometimes,  who  are  not  truly  merciful.    I  have 

3en  many  persons  kind  to  animals,  and  good-natured, 

tad  civil  in  general,  who  have  shown  at  other  times 

reat  harshness  and  severity  in  judging  of  their  neigh- 

ur's  conduct,  and  a  great  want  of  tenderness  and  for- 

veness  when  they  have  been  offended  in  some  point 

out  which  they  are  particularly  jealous.    Nothing 

t  feeling  in  a  very  strong  way  that  we  are  sinners, 

nd  deserving  of  God's  anger,  can  make  us  truly  merci- 

ll  at  all  times. 

I  shall  now  try  to  show  what  is  the  behaviour  of 
hildren  who  are  truly  merciful;  next,  I  shall  show  how 
lerciful  children  obtain  mercy ;  and  lastly,  according 
1  my  usual  order,  shall  beg  you,  my  dear  children,  to 
xamine  yourselves  whether  you  are  merciful. 
A  merciful  child,  feeling  his  own  sin,  is  ready  to  for- 
me  others ;  and  knowing  how  God  has  borne  with 
|m,  he  is  patient  with  others.  Few  days  will  pass  in 
Fhich  he  will  not  meet  with  some  cause  of  offence, 
ferhaps  his  brothers  and  sisters  will  be  carelessly  do- 
ig  some  little  harm  to  his  playthings,  books,  or  some- 


: 


36  ADDRESSES   TO   CHILDREN 

thing  else  that  belongs  to  him,  and  often,  from  that  ill- 
temper  which  is  common,  and  so  much  indulged  among 
children,  they  will  be  sajdng  or  doing  something  unkind 
to  him :  but  he  will  be  ready  to  make  allowances  for 
them:  he  will  forgive  the  offence  in  his  own  heart,  be- 
fore the  offender  has  asked  forgiveness,  or  shown  any 
disposition  to  do  it. 

If  the  person  who  has  offended  him  should  express 
any  sorrow  for  his  fault,  the  merciful  child,  like  the 
father  in  the  parable  of  the  Prodigal  Son,  will  see  him 
afar  off,  and  run  and  fall  on  his  neck,  and  kiss  him. 
To  seek  forgiveness  when  he  has  himself  offended,  and 
to  forgive  when  others  have  offended  him,  are  twi 
things  which  he  will  always  be  in  great  haste  to  do. 

In  the  next  place,  the  merciful  child  will  be  patien 

It  often  happens  that  an  elder  child  has  a  little  one 
for  his  companion  who  is  very  teasing  and  troublesome, 
A  patient  child,  remembering  how  himself  daily  tries, 
not  only  the  patience  of  his  earthly  parents,  but  that  oi 
his  heavenly  Father  also,  (if  we  may  be  allowed  so  to 
speak,)  will  bear  with  the  little  teasing  ways  of  the 
child,  and  refrain  himself  when  he  is  disposed  to  be 
provoked.  If  he  is  employed  to  teach  any  thing  to 
another  child,  he  will  not  grow  angry  because  that 
child  does  not  understand  him  so  quickly  as  he  could 
wish,  or  even  although  he  shows  an  unwillingness  to 
learn  or  a  frowardness  of  temper :  he  knows  his  own 
weakness,  and  he  remembers  how  provoking  are  his 
own  ways. 

A  merciful  child  is  very  kind.    The  child  who  wou 
be  merciful  should  read  and  learn  by  heart  the  histo 
of  the  good  Samaritan.    It  is  a  sweet  story,  and  we 
should  prize  it  very  highly,  because  it  was  told  us  b; 
our  Saviour  himself. 


ON   TftE    BEATITUDES.  37 

•  If  there  is  any  accident  in  the  family,  if  any  body  is 
ill,  the  merciful  child  is  all  quiet  activity :  he  does  not 
increase  the  trouble  by  asking  questions  and  making 
noisy  lamentations,  but  he  thinks  to  himself,  "  How- 
can  I  be  of  use  ?"  not,  "  How  can  I  behave  so  as  to  be 
noticed  myself  ?"  and  therefore,  if  he  finds  the  most 
useful  tiling  he  can  do  is  to  step  gently  about  the 
house,  to  go  on  quietly  with  his  business,  and  keep  out 
of  the  way  of  others  who  are  busy,  he  is  ready  to  do 
it ;  or  he  is  equally  ready  to  do  any  little  service,  any 
errand,  as  nimbly,  as  accurately,  and  as  quietly  as  he 
can.  He  is  very  kind  to  those  who  are  weaker  and 
younger  than  himself:  he  does  not  forget  that  he  al- 
ways stands  in  need  of  God's  protection  from  a  thou- 
sand dangers  seen  and  unseen,  that  he  must  look  up  to 
the  strong  for  strength  ;  and  therefore  he  delights  to  be 
the  protector  of  his  little  brothers  and  sisters,  and  is 
glad  to  show  any  little  act  of  kindness  even  to  the  baby 
in  the  cradle. 

The  merciful  child  remembers  the  poor. — Blessed 
is  he  that  consider eth  the  poor.  (Psalm  xli.  1.)  Al- 
most all  children  have  something  which  it  is  in  their 
power  to  give  away ;  even  the  children  of  the  poor 
spend  many  pence  upon  cakes,  apples,  and  other 
things  of  the  sort,  which  do  them  little  or  no  good. 
Children,  it  is  a  sweet  pleasure  to  give  to  the  poor  ;  try 
it,  and  you  will  find  it  to  be  so.  If  you  lay  out  six- 
pence, or  a  penny,  on  cakes  or  fruit,  the  pleasure  is 
quickly  over: but  if  you  deny  your  appetite,  and  buy 
a  loaf,  perhaps,  for  some  poor  creature  who  stands  in 
need,  you  may  make  the  widow's  heart  sing  for  joy, 
and  your  own  too  in  the  remembrance  of  it. 

A  merciful  child  is  therefore  self-denying,  that  he 
may  give  to  others.  He  wffl  also  gladly  fall  in  with 
4 


38  ADDRESSES   TO    CHILDREN 

any  plan  of  doing  good  that  is  pointed  out  to  him :  for 
instance,  in  helping  to  teach  poor  children  at  home, 
as  far  as  his  slight  abilities  will  allow ;  or  in  forwarding 
any  scheme  of  giving  assistance  to  the  ignorant  and  dis- 
tressed a  great  way  off. 

Lastly,  a  merciful  child  is  kind  to  animals. 

It  is  common  to  see  children,  as  well  as  men  and 
women,  expressing  some  extraordinary  regard  for  a 
particular  horse,  or  dog,  or  bird,  and  yet  not  kind  to 
animals  in  general ;  and  boys,  particularly,  will  spend 
a  great  deal  of  time  in  a  stable  or  dog-kennel,  in  very 
bad  company,  where  they  learn  a  great  many  things 
that  they  ought  not  to  know,  because  they  say  they 
are  fond  of  horses  and  dogs ;  and  yet  these  very  chil- 
dren will  often  take  great  pleasure  in  tormenting  other 
dumb  creatures.  Cats,  and  birds,  and  donkeys,  and 
many  insects  and  reptiles,  are  cruelly  teased  by  chil- 
dren. This  is  a  subject  not  pleasant  to  talk  of;  but  let 
all  children  seriously  consider,  that  He  who  made  these 
creatures  hears  their  dying  groans,  or  their  silent  and 
inward  mourning,  and  keeps  a  strict  account  of  all  their 
sufferings ;  and  at  the  last  day  he  will  avenge  their  cause 
upon  yon',  their  tormentors,  if  you  do  not  make  haste 
to  get  pardon  for  your  sins,  and  to  change  your  habits 
of  cruelty  for  habits  of  mercy :  for  the  unmerciful  shall 
not  obtain  mercy. 

I  remember  somewhere  reading  a  story  of  a  boy, 
who,  on  a  ver)^  sultry  morning,  dragged  a  toad  from  a 
place  of  shade  and  laid  it  on  its  back  in  the  hot  sun,  and 
passing  the  same  way  at  night,  found  the  toad  shrivelled 
up  and  dead.  Some  time  after,  the  boy  was  afflicted 
with  a  dreadful  fever,  in  which  he  suffered  from  con- 
stant, parching  heat,  and  the  image  of  the  toad  was  • 
constantly  before  him.    I  do  not  remember  the  end  of 


ON    THE    BEATITUDES.  W 

the  story,  but  I  hope  the  boy  was  warned  by  his  afflic- 
tion to  seek  forgiveness  of  his  sin,  and  was  thus  pre- 
served from  the  more  intolerable  heat  in  which  not  one 
drop  of  water  is  afforded  to  cool  the  tongue. 

The  merciful  child  then  is  tender-hearted,  forgiving, 
patient,  long-suffering,  and,  as  far  as  in  him  lies,  kind 
and  pitiful  to  all  the  creatures  whom  his  heavenly  Fa- 
ther has  placed  in  his  reach  ;  and  thus  enabled  to  shew 
mercy  himself,  he  shall  without  doubt  obtain  it. 

Even  in  this  world  the  merciful  shall  obtain  mercy. 
In  the  common  course  of  things,  children  who  are  very 
kind  and  good-natured,  will  always  meet  with  kindness 
from  others.  How  many  instances  of  this  you  may 
all  remember !  But  that  is  not  all ;  there  are  many  pro- 
mises of  good  things  even  in  this  world  to  the  merciful. 
It  is  said  in  the  Bible,  that  if  we  remember  the  poor 
and  needy,  the  Lord  will  make  all  our  bed  in  our 
sickness.  (Psalm  xli.  3.)  And  again,  Cast  thy  bread 
upon  the  waters .  for  thou  shalt  find  it  after  many 
days.  (Eccles.  xi.  1.)  David  says,  I  have  been  young, 
and  now  am  old  ;  yet  have  I  not  seen  the  righteous 
forsaken,  nor  his  seed  begging  bread.  (Psalm 
xxxvii.  25.)  And  our  Saviour  himself  says,  Whoso- 
ever shall  give  you  a  cup  of  water  to  drink  in  my 
name,  because  ye  belong  to  Christ,  verily  I  say  unto 
you,  he  shall  not  lose  his  reward.  (Mark  ix.  41.) 

If  then  a  child  is  tender-hearted,  and  kind,  and  for- 
giving to  his  fellow-creatures,  because  his  heavenly 
Father  has  been  very  kind  to  him,  and  forgiven  his 
sins  for  the  sake  of  Jesus  Christ ;  that  child  shall  ob- 
tain mercy  even  in  this  world,  mercy  in  his  turn  from 
his  fellow-creatures,  and  especially  tender  mercy  from 
God.  Every  kind  and  merciful  action  which  comes 
from  a  right  feeling,  and  not  from  the  desire  of  praise 


40  ADDRESSES   TO    CHILDREN 

or  vain  glory,  is  like  a  seed  of  good  grain,  which,  if  we 
put  in  the  ground  in  spring,  will  certainly  grow  up, 
and  in  autumn  bring  a  ripe  and  golden  ear  of  yellow 
corn,  which  the  reaper  gathers,  and  which  brings 
wholesome  and  pleasant  bread  for  him  who  sowed  it. 

But,  above  all,  in  Heaven  the  merciful  child  shall  ob- 
tain mercy.  The  face  of  eternal  love,  the  light  of  God's 
countenance  lifted  up  upon  him,  shall  rest  like  eternal 
sunshine  on  his  head. 

Lastly,  I  would  beg  of  you,  my  dear  children,  to  ex- 
amine yourselves  whether  you  deserve  to  be  called 
merciful. 

Some  children  will  say,  "lam  reckoned  very  good- 
natured;  is  not  that  being  meiciful?"  Nothing,  how- 
ever, is  so  little  understood  as  good-nature.  You  may 
be  cheerful  and  good-humoured  at  times,  and  be  ready 
to  give  something  away :  but  do  you  not  often  take  a 
pleasure  in  teasing  and  even  hurting  your  companions, 
or  in  tonnenting  animals  ?  Do  you  not  give  a  great  deal 
of  pain  and  trouble  to  your  parents,  and  masters,  and 
mistresses,  by  your  undutiful  behaviour;  and  treat  your 
servants  with  pride,  or  give  them  by  your  carelessness 
much  needless  trouble  ?  Do  you  not  ridicule  and  mock 
at  other  people,  though  you  would  not  like  the  same 
to  be  done  to  yourselves  ?  Are  you  not,  in  one  word, 
selfish  ?  and  selfishness  is  quite  opposite  to  mercy. 

It  is  impossible  to  tell  of  the  many  ways  in  which 
children  may  be  selfish ;  but  if  we  give  way  to  selfishness 
in  any  way,  we  cannot  be  really  good-natured.  Some 
of  these  ways  I  will  mention. 

Some  children  show  selfishness  by  trying  to  get  as 
much  money  as  they  can  from  their  friends,  in  order 
to  spend  it  on  themselves.  Others  are  anxious  to  have 
a  share  in  all  the  pleasant  schemes  that  take  place  in  the 


ON    THE    BEATITUDES.  41 

family,  though  their  brothers  and  sisters  may  be  on 
that  account  shut  out  from  them.  And  some  indulge 
envy  when  they  see  their  companions  enjoying  any 
pleasures,  or  receiving  any  present  they  would  like  to 
have  themselves.  Others  are  desirous  to  help  them- 
selves to  what  is  nice  in  food,  without  considering  who 
goes  without. 

If  you  do  not  think  you  are  selfish  in  this  way,  ask 
yourselves  whether  you  ever  try  to  be  of  use  to  other 
people.  Are  you  ready  at  any  time  to  deny  your- 
selves a  little  pleasure,  to  give  up  a  game  of  play,  to 
refrain  from  buying  a  toy,  or  to  give  yourselves  trou- 
ble in  any  way,  when  by  this  you  may  do  good  to  those 
who  need  it,  or  make  yourselves  useful  to  your  friends  ? 
Ask  yourselves  the  honest  truth,  my  children,  and  tell 
me  whether  you  do  not  encourage  selfishness  in  your 
hearts  rather  than  humble  thoughts  of  yourselves, 
thankful  feelings  towards  God,  and  merciful  affections 
towards  your  fellow-creatures. 

How  then  can  you  call  yourselves  merciful  ?  But  O ! 
if  you  are  not  merciful,  how  can  you  obtain  mercy? 
and  if  you  do  not  obtain  mercy  from  God,  what  is  to 
become  of  you  ? — If  your  heavenly  Father  has  not 
mercy  upon  you  !  if  Christ  has  not  mercy  upon  you ! 
if  the  Holy  Spirit  has  not  mercy  upon  you  !  consider, 
my  children,  solemnly  consider,  what  is  to  become  of 
you  in  this  world,  what  is  to  become  of  you  in  eternity ! 

But  it  is  a  sweet,  a  happy  life,  a  life  which  holy  chil- 
dren have  always  led,  to  be  showing  mercy  to  their  fel- 
low-creatures, and  to  be  always  thankfully  receiving 
it  from  God. 

Pray  to  God  to  show  you  how  he  has  first  loved  you 
and  shown  you  mercy,  by  your  "  creation,  preserva- 
tion, and  all  the  blessings  of  this  life,  but  above  all  by  his 
4* 


42  ADDRESSES    TO    CHILDREN 

inestimable  love  in  the  redemption  of  the  world  by  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ ;"  and  pray  him  to  forgive  you  for 
your  ingratitude,  and  still  to  show  you  further  mercy. 
And  try  to  show  your  sense  of  his  love,  by  a  life  of  love 
and  mercy  to  your  fellow-creatures,  and  by  kindness 
and  pity  to  the  animals  which  are  the  creatures  of  God 
as  well  as  yourselves ;  and  then  shall  the  reproach  be 
Tolled  away  from  you,  who,  being  the  children  of 
Christians,  and  called  Christians  yourselves,  yet  too 
often  act  like  the  children  of  Satan.  And  then  you 
shall  know  for  yourselves,  in  part  in  this  world,  and  \ 
more  fully  in  Heaven,  what  it  is  to  obtain  mercy 
from  the  God  of  love;  and  you  shall  enjoy  that  mercy 
for  ever  and  ever,  while  cruel  and  selfish  children  shall 
be  denied  the  mercy  they  would  not  show. 


ADDRESS  VI. 

are  the  pure  in  heart :  for  they  shall  see  God."— Matt.  v.  8. 

Those  persons  who  hunger  and  thirst  after  righte- 
ousness, who  are  humbled  for  sin  and  mourn  for  it,  who 
are  merciful,  meek,  and  lowly  in  heart, — have  a  hop* 
of  glory,  (it  may  not  as  yet  be  a  very  strong  hope, 
which  maketh  not  ashamed,  and  which  will  grow 
brighter  and  brighter  till  it  come  to  the  perfect  day ;  it 
is  hope  which  excites  all  who  possess  it  to  purify  them 
selves  even  as  Christ  is  pure. 

Thus  we  see,  my  beloved  children,  that  purity 
heart  is  the  crown  of  true  humility.  Those  who  are 
proud,  and  are  satisfied  with  themselves,  and  do  no 
hunger  and  thirst  after  abetter  righteousness  than  th 
own,  cannot  be  pure ;  for  how  can  a  corrupt  tree  bring 


ON    THE    BEATITUDES.  43 

forth  good  fruit  ?  But  if  we  are  truly  humble  for  our 
sin,  and  come  in  faith  and  godly  sorrow  to  the  foot  of 
the  cross,  a  new  and  holy  nature  gradually  springs  up 
and  flourishes  within  us,  and  we  are  enabled  to  bring 
forth  the  pleasant  fruits  of  peace,  righteousness,  and 
purity. 

I  shall  first  explain  to  you,  my  children,  what  is 
meant  by  being  pure  in  heart ;  and  then  try  to  show 
you  how  the  pure  in  heart  shall  see  God,  at  least,  as  far 
as  such  a  promise,  so  glorious  and  wonderful,  can  be 
understood  by  the  children  of  men. 

I  shall  consider  purity,  first,  as  simplicity  and  single- 
ness of  conduct.  By  this  I  mean  a  steady,  regular  de- 
sire to  please  God,  and  do  our  duty  in  that  state  of  life 
to  which  it  has  pleased  God  to  call  us ;  and  that,  whe- 
ther we  gain  or  lose  by  the  good  things  of  this  life, 
and  whether  the  world  approves  of  us  or  not. 

My  children,  if  you  look  narrowly  at  yourselves, 
how  little  of  this  will  you  find  in  your  hearts !  You 
will  find,  that  in  general  you  have  no  other  motives 
for  what  you  do  but  to  escape  punishment,  and  to  please 
yourselves.  From  the  fear  of  punishment,  or  perhaps 
the  force  of  custom,  children  often  behave  outwardly 
well  while  they  live  with  good  persons ;  and  it  often 
happens  that  children  who  have  borne  a  pretty  good 
character  when  living  at  home  with  pious  parents,  be- 
come very  naughty  when  they  go  to  a  large  school 
where  they  are  left  much  to  themselves.  Bad  exam- 
ples are  set  them,  and  they  are  perhaps  laughed  at  for 
reading  their  Bible  and  saying  their  prayers,  which 
they  have  been  used  to  do  at  home ;  and  so  they  leave 
off  these  things,  because  the  fear  of  ridicule  has  as 
much  power  with  them  to  make  them  naughty  in  one 
place,  as  the  fear  of  punishment,  or  the  hope  of  reward, 


44  ADDRESSES    TO    CHILDREN 

had  to  make  them  good  in  another.  Had  they  acted 
at  home  from  a  sincere  desire  to  please  God,  they 
would  still  have  done  so  at  school ;  and  then  they  could 
not  so  easily  have  left  off  praying,  or  reading,  or  any 
other  good  habit.  Mere  worldly  motives  for  doing 
right  are  changed  by  outward  circumstances,  and  our 
beb  aviour  will  of  course  alter  with  them.  I  do  not  mean 
to  say,  that  children  should  not  fear  to  be  punished,  or 
love  to  be  rewarded,  b5r  their  parents  and  governors ; 
but  the  fear  of  a  punishment,  or  the  hope  of  a  reward, 
should  not  be  first  in  their  hearts. 

A  good  child  will  have  more  pleasure  in  the  feeling 
that  his  parents  are  smiling  upon  him  and  loving  him, 
than  in  receiving  a  present  from  them ;  and  a  frown 
from  a  kind  parent  will  be  more  to  him  even  than  his 
rod :  and,  in  like  manner,  to  do  what  is  right  in  the 
sight  of  God  will  be  the  first  desire  of  a  good  child ; 
and  to  enjoy  God's  favour  in  this  life,  and  to  obtain  his 
glory  in  the  next  life,  will  be  his  first  motives  for  re- 
fraining from  sin,  at  any  time,  or  in  any  place. 

A  child  also  who  is  simple  in  his  conduct  will  never 
use  any  crooked,  indirect  ways  of  getting  any  thing 
he  wants,  or  of  escaping  blame  or  punishment. 

All  kinds  of  falsity,  tying,  and  concealment  of  what 
ought  to  be  told,  are  directly  contrary  to  simplicity 
and  singleness  of  conduct. 

We  may  next  consider  purity  as  the  keeping  of  the 
seventh  commandment,  in  its  fullest  meaning. 

Purity  in  this  sense  is  to  the  soul  what  cleanliness  is 
to  the  body.  There  is  an  old  proverb,  that  cleanliness 
is  next  to  godliness  ;  and  perhaps  godliness  in  this  pro- 
verb may  mean  something  very  like  purity. 

Many  children,  especially  little  girls,  take  a  great 
pleasure  in  new  clothes;  and  though  they  should  guard 


ON    THE    BEATITUDES.  45 

against  vanity,  which  is  a  particular  temptation  to  girls, 
yet  it  is  well  they  should  love  to  be  neat  and  clean. 
But  to  prevent  this  desire  of  neatness  from  doing  them 
harm,  I  would  recommend  to  all  little  children,  Avhen 
they  are  dressed  with  more  than  usual  care  and  nicety, 
to  ask  themselves,  "  Is  my  heart,  my  immortal  part, 
neatly  and  carefully  dressed  ?  is  it  pure  and  holy  ?  are 
its  sins  washed  away  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb  ?  is  it 
clothed  with  the  robe  of  righteousness  ?  If  not,  my  new 
frock,  clean  hands,  and  curling  hair,  make  me  only  like 
the  whited  sepulchre,  which  is  full  of  dead  men's 
bones." 

It  is  a  very  good  habit  thus  to  learn  a  lesson  from 
the  common  things  which  happen  to  us,  and  the  out- 
ward objects  we  daily  see.  Our  Saviour  has  preached 
to  us  from  birds  and  lilies ;  and  many  a  pleasant  ser- 
mon may  the  sun  and  the  air,  the  grass  of  the  field,  and 
the  stars  in  the  sky,  as  well  as  the  things  we  are  daily 
called  to  do,  preach  to  us  also  if  Ave  will  listen  to  them. 
Children  who  are  pure  in  heart  will  keep  a  watch  over 
their  eyes,  they  will  not  look  at  any  object  which  is 
unbecoming,  they  will  never  read  an  unholy  book,  they 
will  keep  a  watch  over  their  hands,  they  will  keep  a 
watch  over  their  ears,  they  will  listen  to  no  impure 
discourse,  let  it  be  from  whom  it  will ;  they  will  sooner 
stop  their  ears,  if  it  is  possible,  or  run  out  of  the  room, 
than  listen  to  the  wicked  language  of  unholy  children ; 
and  if  they  are  unavoidably  forced  to  hear  language  of 
this  sort,  they  will  strive  to  forget  it,  and  never  need- 
lessly repeat  it.  They  will  keep  a  watch  over  their 
thoughts,  they  will  entertain  no  unholy  remembrances, 
they  will  think  of  no  wicked  things;  and  though 
they  may  be  surrounded  with  wicked  companions,  they 
will  love  to  solace  their  minds  in  secret,  with  sweet  and 
holy  thoughts. 


46  ADDRESSES    TO    CHILDREN 

Temptations  to  some  sins  we  must  fight  with,  and  con- 
quer ;  but  we  must  run  away  from  temptations  to  im- 
purity ;  we  cannot  sprinkle  a  white  frock  with  mire, 
without  defiling  it ;  how  can  we  partake  with  the  im- 
pure in  any  way,  without  defiling  ourselves?  Fly  then 
from  the  impure  child,  for  his  wTay  is  a  downhill  path 
that  leads  to  Hell. 

In  the  second  place,  I  will  try  to  show  you  what  is 
meant  by  seeing  God. 

In  its  most  complete  and  glorious  sense,  it  means 
that  seeing  of  God  face  to  face  which  will  be  granted 
after  the  resurrection  from  the  dead  to  his  glorified: 
children :  for  in  this  life  no  man  can  see  God  and  live. 
And  here,  what  can  I  say  ?    When  a  new  and  immor- 
tal body  is  given  to  us,  and  we  are  purified  from  all 
sin ;  and,  through  the  merits  of  our  glorious  Redeemer, 
we  are  permitted  to  enter  the  highest  Heaven,  and  se 
those  things  which  we  cannot  know  here ;  wrhen  eternal 
glory  shall  have  become  ours  for  ever ;  when  the  God 
of  all  joy,  and  blessedness,  and  goodness,  and  love, 
shall  vouchsafe  to  manifest  himself  to  us  in  a  manne 
which  would  now  completely  overpower  us; — then, 
who  can  tell,  who  can  imagine  what  will  be  the  blis 
which  we  shall  then  drink  of,  as  of  an  ocean  which 
has  no  shores.     In  this  glorious  sense,  the  seeing  God 
cannot  be  conceived ;  we  only  know  that  it  means  the 
perfect  enjoyment  of  eternal  and  celestial  glory,  in  his 
immediate  presence.     But  in  a  lower  sense  than  this, 
the  pure  in  heart  may  be  said  to  see  God. 

There  is  a  way  in  which  the  children  of  God  may 
walk  with  him  in  this  life,  as  a  man  walketh  with  his 
friend :  even  here,  God  has  promised  to  make  his  abode 
with  his  people,  If  a  man  love  me,  he  will  keep  mi 
words :  and  my  Father  will  love  him,  and  we  wil 


ON    THE    BEATITUDES.  47 

come  unto  him,  and  make  our  abode  with  him.  (John 
xiv.  23.) 

If  we  believe  in  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  by  the 
help  of  the  Spirit  try  to  do  the  will  of  God  at  all  times, 
and  keep  ourselves  from  sin,  the  light  of  his  coun- 
tenance shall  be  lifted  up  upon  us,  to  guide,  and  refresh, 
and  comfort  us.  Even  a  little  child,  if  he  tries  to  love 
and  serve  God,  will  often  be  made  to  feel  that  God  is 
near  to  him,  as  a  very  kind  Friend.  Young  as  he  is, 
he  may  rejoice  in  heavenly  comforts.  Does  not  an 
earthly  parent  smile  as  often  upon  his  little  helpless 
babe,  as  upon  his  elder  children  ?  and  did  not  our  Saviour 
take  the  little  children  in  his  arms?  Samuel  waited 
upon  God  betimes,  and  the  Lord  saw  fit  to  call  him  in 
a  peculiar  manner. 

Purify  yourselves  from  sin,  rny  children,  and  walk 
closely  with  God  in  humble  faith  on  your  Redeemer, 
and  the  secret  of  the  Lord  shall  be  with  you  ;  that  peace 
which  passeth  all  understanding,  which  a  worldly- 
minded  child  cannot  understand,  shall,  in  such  a  mea- 
sure as  is  good  for  you,  be  given  to  you.  Young  as  you 
are,  you  shall  walk  with  God  as  Abraham  did  here; 
and  in  due  time  you  shall  be  admitted  to  his  presence, 
ito  see  him  face  to  face  for  ever. 

In -the  third  and  last  place,  my  beloved  children,  I 
earnestly  entreat  of  you  to  examine  yourselves  whe- 
ther you  are  pure  in  heart,  or  are  striving  to  become 
so.  Do  you  desire,  in  the  first  place,  and  above  all 
things,  to  please  God  ?  or  are  you  striving  to  serve  God 
and  Mammon;  walking  in  crooked,  uneven,  double- 
minded  ways ;  behaving  outwardly  well  when  with 
good  people,  that  you  may  obtain  praise  and  escape 
punishment ;  and  conforming  yourselves  to  the  ways 
of  naughty  children,  when  with  them  ?  Are  you  one 


48  ADDRESSES   TO   CHILDREN 

person  in  one  company,  and  another  person  in  another? 
When  you  want  any  pleasure,  do  you  make  use  only 
of  honest  ways  to  obtain  it,  leaving  it  in  God's  hands 
to  give  it  you,  if  it  is  good  for  you  ?  or  do  you  use  any 
sly  way  to  get  your  purpose  ?  Do  you  speak  the  plain 
truth  when  you  have  done  any  mischief,  or  are  afraid 
of  getting  blame  ?  or  do  you  prevaricate  and  conceal 
part  of  the  truth,  though  you  may  not  quite  tell  an  ab- 
solute lie  ?  Do  you  practise  deceit,  in  short,  in  any  way, 
either  to  escape  pain  or  gain  pleasure. 

Lastly.  Do  you  avoid,  as  you  would  poison,  every , 
unclean,  impure,  and  indecent  thought,  word,  and  ac- 
tion ?  Do  you  run  away  from  such  books  and  such  com- 
pany as  would  teach  you  these  things?  and,  instead 
of  this,  do  you  cultivate  pure  and  holy  thoughts  ?  Do 
you  avoid  all  unholy  language  ?  Do  you  diligently 
read  your  Bible,  and  other  good  or  innocent  books  ? 
Do  you  choose,  as  far  as  you  can,  the  company  of  good 
children,  though  it  may  happen  that  they  may  be  less 
entertaining  than  some  naughty  children  you  know? 
And  are  you  always  employed  ?  Idle  children  are  the 
first  to  fall  into  sin. 

"  In  works  of  labour,  or  of  skill, 

I  would  be  busy  too ; 
For  Satan  finds  some  mischief  still 

For  idle  hands  to  do. 

In  books,  or  work,  or  healthful  play, 

Let  my  first  years  be  pass'd, 
That  I  may  give  for  every  day 

Some  good  account  at  last." 

And  to  all  your  own  endeavours  to  keep  out  of  sii 
do  you  add  earnest  prayers  for  grace,  that  you  may 
keep  your  body  in  temperance,  soberness,  and  chastity, 
and  that  your  soul  may  be  made  a  temple  for  God  him- 
self to  dwell  in  ? 
My  children,  God  has  not  called  us  to  uncleannes§ 


OX   THE    BEATITUDES.  49 

but  to  holiness.  He  has  called  us  to  be  like  him  here 
in  true  holiness,  that  we  may  dwell  with  him  hereafter, 
and  see  him  face  to  face. 

Holy  children  are  like  lambs  feeding  on  beds  of  thyme 
and  delicate  verdure,  fanned  by  the  breezes  of  Heaven, 
and  their  thirst  slaked  by  the  purest  water  that  runs 
down  the  mountain  side,  and  their  shepherd  is  the  Lord 
of  Life  himself. 

Impure  children  are  like  filthy  swine  wallowing  in 
mire,  as  soon  as  they  are  washed  returning  to  their 
wallowing  again. 

Every  one  admires  a  clean  and  innocent  lamb. 
Every  one  dislikes  the  filthy  and  disgusting  swine. 
Even  the  children  of  the  family  love  to  caress  the  lamb, 
and  deck  his  fleece  with  flowers ;  but  the  greedy,  the 
dirty,  the  grunting  swine,  they  turn  from  with  disgust. 

Be  a  lamb  in  innocence  and  purity  here,  and  the  chil- 
dren of  your  Father's  family  above  will  love  you,  and, 
if  permitted,  will  prepare  for  you  a  crown  of  immortal 
amaranth. 

Yes,  when  you  leave  the  pasture-ground  on  earth, 
Immanuei's  land  below ;  you  shall  be  numbered  with 
your  Father's  children,  with  the  saints  in  glory  ever- 
lasting ;  and  dwell  where  dear  children  love  to  dwell,  in 
their  Father's  presence  for  ever.  But  the  unholy,  the 
impure,  whatsoever  loveth  and  maketh  a  lie,  shall  be 
cast  out  of  the  holy  city ;  for  without  are  dogs,  and  all 
Impure  creatures.  And  how  will  impure  children  curse 
the  vain  delights,  the  carnal  pleasures,  which  they  fol- 
lowed so  greedily  on  earth,  when  they  see  the  holy 
children,  whom  once,  perhaps,  they  despised  and  laugh- 
ed at,  admitted  into  Heaven,  while  the  golden  gates 
thereof  are  closed  upon  themselves  for  ever. 

O,  my  beloved  children !  repent  of  all  your  impure 


50  ADDRESSES  TO    CHILDREN 

thoughts,  words,  and  deeds ;  fly  to  your  Saviour  to  be 
washed  in  his  blood  from  all  your  past  guilt,  and  pray 
for  the  Holy  Spirit  to  cleanse  your  inmost  soul ;  and, 
in  the  strength  of  that  Spirit,  put  away  far  from  you 
every  thing  that  is  impure,  take  up  your  cross  and 
deny  yourselves. 

Impure  pleasures  are  like  poisonous  weeds ;  pluck 
them  up  and  cast  them  from  you,  and  God  will  repay 
you  with  enduring  pleasures,  which,  like  celestial 
flowers,  shall  bud  and  bloom,  and  never  die.  Remem- 
ber, that  he  who  soweth  to  the  flesh,  shall  of  the  flesh 
reap  corruption :  but  he  that  soweth  to  the  Spirit,  shall 
of  the  Spirit  reap  life  everlasting.  (Gal.  vi.  8.) 


ADDRESS    Til. 

"Blessed  are  the  peacemakers :    for  they  shall  be  called  the  children  of 
God.1'— Matt.  v.  9. 

The  character  of  a  peacemaker  is  a  very  sweet  cha- 
racter. Our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ  is  the  first 
and  best  of  peacemakers.  He  came  on  earth  to  make 
peace  between  God  and  man,  and  to  make  peace  be- 
tween man  and  man.  He  suffered  death  upon  the  cross 
for  our  redemption,  and  made  there  a  full,  perfect,  and 
sufficient  sacrifice,  oblation,  and  satisfaction  for  the  sins 
of  the  whole  world.  And  when  this  glorious  work 
was  finished,  he  did  as  it  were  present  us  to  his  Father, 
saying,  "  Father,  behold  these  sheep,  for  whom  I  have 
laid  down  my  life."  The  Father,  for  Christ's  sake, 
loves  us;  and,  if  we  reject  not  the  salvation  which  is 
purchased  for  us,  he  will  lift  up  the  light  of  his  coun- 
tenance upon  us,  not  only  in  this  world,  but  for  ever. 
Thus  did  Christ  bring  peace  and  good-will  from  God 


ON    THE    BEATITUDES.  51 

to  man,  as  the  angels  sung  on  the  morning  of  Christ- 
mas-day. 

Our  Saviour  also  came  to  be  a  peacemaker  between 
'man  and  man.  He  was  himself  a  pattern  of  love  in  all 
his  behaviour.  In  every  part  of  the  New  Testament 
he  is  continually  exhorting  us  to  love,  to  pity,  and  to 
i  forgiveness. 

Our  Saviour  also  makes  peace  in  the  hearts  of  his 
people.  His  peace  he  gives  to  them:  and  he  puts  with- 
in them  the  spirit  of  love,  which  teaches  them  to  love 
'  God,  and  to  love  each  other.  And  lastly,  as  the  crown- 
ing work,  he  would  have  us  not  only  love  God  and 
love  each  other,  and  enjoy  heavenly  peace  in  our  own 
bosoms,  but  he  would  have  us  teach  others  to  love  God 
and  each  other,  and  point  out  to  them  the  way  of  peace. 

Our  Saviour  does  not  put  this  beatitude  first:  for 
how  can  persons  be  peacemakers  who  do  not  know 
what  peace  is  themselves  ?  We  must  first  be  humbled 
for  our  sins,  and  mourn  for  them,  and  seek  for  pardon 
through  the  blood  of  Christ,  before  we  can  be  at  peace 
with  God.  We  must  be  meek  and  merciful,  or  we 
cannot  know  what  peace  is  with  our  fellow-creatures. 
We  must  be  pure  in  heart,  and  hunger  and  thirst  after 
righteousness,  or  we  cannot  taste  that  inward  peace  of 
mind  with  which  God  fills  his  believing  children. 

My  dear  children,  I  have  been  at  some  pains  to  ex- 
plain to  you  six  beatitudes  that  go  before  this.  Just  run 
them  over  in  your  mind.  Are  you,  or  are  you  not,  de- 
sirous to  form  yourselves  after  the  directions  they  con- 
tain 1  Are  you  desirous  to  sit  at  your  Saviour's  feet  ? 
or,  are  you  determined  to  follow  the  world,  and  to  lose 
your  own  soul  ?  In  order  that  you  may  get  as  much  of 
the  world  as  you  can — for  all  of  it  you  will  never  have, 
Satan  will  never  offer  to  you  the  kingdoms  of  this  world 


52  ADDRESSES   TO    CHILDREN 

and  their  glory — you  must  fall  down  and  worship  him 
for  a  very  little  bit  of  the  world,  and  that  perhaps  for  a 
very  short  time. 

But  I  would  hope  better  things  of  you :  I  would  hope 
that  you  have  cast  in  your  lot  with  the  children  of  God, 
and  that  you  are  desiring,  at  least,  to  be  poor  in  spirit 
— to  mourn  for  sin — to  be  made  to  hunger  and  thirst 
after  righteousness — to  be  merciful — to  be  pure  in  heart. 
If  so,  I  will  lead  you  a  step  further  in  the  heavenly  road. 
I  will  show  you,  that  you  must  not  only  labour  for 
peace  yourselves,  but  strive  to  be  peacemakers.  I  will 
take  you  up  the  summit  of  the  hill  of  charity,  and  will 
show  you  the  various  paths  in  which  peacemakers  in 
all  ages  have  loved  to  tread.  I  will  show  you  the  peace- 
maker preaching  peace  to  the  distant  isles  of  the  Gen- 
tiles. I  will  show  you  the  peacemaker  leading  the 
orphan  child  to  the  knowledge  of  the  Prince  of  Peace, 
and  pointing  upwards  to  the  land  of  eternal  love, 
whose  name  the  babe  had  never  learned  before.  I  will 
show  you  the  peacemaker  reconciling  parents  and  chil- 
dren, brothers  and  sisters ;  and  you  shall  see  him  sitting 
by  the  bed  of  the  miserable,  and  comforting  his  heart 
with  the  words  of  the  Gospel  of  Peace.  This  I  will  en- 
deavor to  do  first :  and  then  I  will  show  you  how  peace- 
makers shall  be  called  the  children  of  God. 

First,  I  will  show  you  what  peacemakers  are :  or  ra- 
ther, I  will  show  you  some  of  the  ways  in  which  you 
who  are  children  can  be  peacemakers. 

A  child  who  is  a  peacemaker  will  strive,  in  the  way 
and  measure  suited  to  his  circumstances,  to  lead  others 
to  the  knowledge  of  the  things  which  make  for  their 
everlasting  peace.  There  is  some  way  in  which  every 
person  may  do  good  to  the  souls  of  his  neighbours :  the 
clergyman  does  it  by  his  authority  as  a  priest,  by 


ON    THE    BEATITUDES.  53 

preaching  and  exhortations ;  the  man  in  power,  by  his 
influence ;  the  friend,  by  his  advice ;  the  parent,  by  his 
instructions ;  servants  and  children,  by  their  example, 
their  kind  and  gentle  persuasions,  and  in  some  cases 
by  their  authority,  if  they  are  put  in  situations  of  trust. 
An  elder  brother  or  sister  has  it  in  his  power  to  be  very 
useful  to  the  little  ones  of  his  family.  He  may  often 
make  peace  between  them  when  they  quarrel,  and  lead 
them  to  desire  peace  with  God  as  the  first  of  blessings. 
I  have  often  seen  the  elder  children  of  a  family  in- 
struct the  little  ones  in  heavenly  things ;  fill  their  young 
hearts  with  desires  after  a  crown  of  glory,  and  a  robe  of 
righteousness ;  show  them  the  evil  of  their  own  stub- 
born ways,  and  teach  them  to  pray  in  secret  for  the 
grace  of  God. 

A  child  may  often  bring  peace  to  the  mind  of  a  sick 
servant,  a  brother  or  sister,  or  even  a  parent,  by  read- 
ing the  word  of  God  to  them,  when  they  are  not  able 
to  read  to  themselves. 

A  prudent  and  pious  child  may  also  be  the  means, 
as  we  have  seen  before,  of  leading  the  little  child  of  the 
poor  into  the  ways  of  heavenly  peace. 

Even  a  very  little  child  who  loves  to  be  a  peace- 
I  maker,  may  find  much  employment — not  by  speaking 
J  peace  when  there  is  no  peace — not  by  flattery — not  by 
deceiving — not  by  hiding  the  truth — not  by  telling  his 
i  brothers  and  sisters  they  are  good  when  they  are 
:  naughty — but  by  persuading  and  entreating  them  to  do 
right ;  to  obey,  for  instance,  a  command  of  their  parent, 
which  they  feel  too  perverse  to  comply  with ;  by  beg- 
ging them  to  restrain  angry  expressions  when  they  are 
provoked. 

In  short,  a  little  child  who  follows  peace  himself  and 
desires  to  be  a  peacemaker,  will,  without  going  out  of 
5* 


54  ADDRESSES    TO    CHILDREN* 

his  way,  or  doing  what  may  seem  meddling  or  unseem- 
ly, find  many  ways  every  day  of  making  peace.  And 
here  let  him  not  trust  to  himself,  but  lean  on  his  God 
for  wisdom,  and  he  will  direct  him  how  to  act.  If  he 
is  proud  and  full  of  self,  he  cannot  do  any  good  in  this 
way,  but  will  rather  disgust ;  for  a  conceited  child  is 
offensive  to  every  body.  But  if,  instead  of  trusting  to 
himself,  he  leans  upon  God  for  wisdom  and  strength, 
his  blessing  will  be  with  him  and  direct  all  his  actions ; 
for  out  of  the  mouths  of  babes  and  sucklings  God  loves 
to  perfect  praise. 

My  children,  begin  by  times  to  walk  in  the  ways  of 
peace,  in  the  little  narrow  path  of  duty  which  God  has 
appointed  you.  When  you  become  older,  God  him- 
self will  show  you  may  ways  you  know  not  yet,  of 
adorning  your  profession,  and  striving  for  the  peace  of 
others,  by  the  labor  of  love,  the  patience  of  hope,  and 
the  obedience  of  faith.  And  if  he  cuts  you  off  while  yet 
a  child,  remember  what  shall  be  the  portion  of  the 
peacemakers — they  shall  be  called  the  children  of  God. 

Thus  am  I  brought  to  the  second  thing  which  I  pro- 
mised to  show  you: — what  is  meant  by  being  called  the 
children  of  God. 

In  some  sense  all  persons  are  the  children  of  God, 
and  we  are  all  permitted  to  say,  "  Our  Father,  which 
art  in  Heaven :"  but  I  think  that  what  is  here  meant  is, 
that  we  shall  be  called  the  children  of  God,  because  we 
shall  be  like  God.  Our  Saviour,  as  I  told  you  at  large, 
is  the  great  Peacemaker ;  and  if  we  are  peacemakers, 
we  shall  be  like  him  in  some  small  measure  and  degree : 
and  in  his  great  mercy  and  love,  he  sometimes  calls 
himself  the  Elder  Brother  of  his  people.  What  a  glo- 
rious privilege  is  this.  Beloved^  now  are  we  the  sons  of 
God;  and  it  doth  not  yet  appear  what  we  shall  be :  but 


ON    THE    BEATITUDES.  55 

we  know  that,  when  he  shall  appear,  we  shall  be  like 
Mm;  for  we  shall  see  him  as  he  is.  (1  John  iii.  2.) 

While  they  live  here  on  earth,  peacemakers  shall  be 
the  children  of  God  ;  and  as  tender  parents  love  their 
little  children,  and  are  ever  planning  for  their  hap- 
piness, so  does  the  Almighty  God  extend  his  arm  of 
love  and  protection  over  his  children.  He  provides 
them  with  every  thing  that  is  really  good  for  them, 
corrects  them  when  they  do  wrong,  instructs  them  with 
his  Spirit,  and  trains  them  up  for  Heaven.  And  when 
their  life  is  past,  the  day  of  school  discipline,  of  the 
spiritual  lessons,  and  of  correction,  then  the  peacemak- 
ers, the  children  of  God,  shall  go  home.  Angels  shall 
carry  them  into  their  Father's  house,  where  mansions 
are  prepared  for  them.  They  shall  see  the  glory  01 
Christ  their  elder  brother,  he  who  has  purchased  for 
them  everlasting  peace,  and  has  sanctified  and  prepar- 
ed them  for  it  by  his  Spirit.  And  God  himself,  the 
Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,  shall  rejoice  over  his  re- 
deemed and  reconciled  children  for  ever. 

Lastly.  I  will  show  you  that  the  conduct  of  children 
is  naturally  very  unlike  that  of  peacemakers ;  and  I 
will  beg  of  each  of  you  to  inquire  whether  your  own 
particular  conduct  is  like  that  of  the  peacemaker. 
Children  in  general  seek  for  peace,  first  of  all,  by  gain- 
ing as  much  worldly  pleasure  as  they  can ;  and  not  by 
seeking  God's  favour  and  forgiveness  to  them,  through 
the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ.  They  never  think  of  teach- 
ing the  way  of  peace  to  their  little  brothers  and  sisters, 
or  their  companions ;  but  too  often  lead  them  into  sin 
and  trouble,  by  their  bad  example,  their  folly  and  vanity; 
and,  often,  by  really  teaching  them  the  practice  of  sin. 

Elder  children  often  destroy  the  peace  and  quiet  of 
little  ones  by  their  ill- temper,  selfishness,  and  covetous- 
ness,  and  tease,  and  tyrannise  over  them,  to  gratify 
their  love  of  power ;  or  even  to  get  from  them  any  nice 


56  ADDRESSES   TO   CHILDREN 

thing  which  may  have  been  given  them,  and  which 
they  covet ;  or  sometimes  merely  to  get  a  favourite  seat, 
or  something  of  no  greater  consequence ;  or  perhaps 
they  are  out  of  temper,  and  want  they  know  not  what. 
How  often  do  children  disturb  the  peace  of  their  pa- 
rents by  their  perverseness  and  wilful  stupidity!  A 
kind  parent  or  teacher,  who  is  instructing  a  child,  is 
often  obliged  to  repeat  the  same  direction  many  times 
over  in  vain,  and,  at  last,  to  correct  the  child,  who  could 
with  ease  have  done  the  thing  desired  cheerfully  and 
pleasantly.  It  is  not  the  mere  teaching  of  children 
which  is  fatiguing,  but  it  is  the  correction  of  their  way- 
ward tempers.  Thus  do  children  in  general  greatly 
disturb  their  parents'  peace. 

It  is  the  same  with  servants.  Many  children,  where 
they  dare,  are  tyrannical  with  their  servants.  Others 
are  very  teasing  and  provoking  to  good-natured -ser- 
vants who  will  bear  with  them,  give  them  needless 
trouble,  hinder  them  when  they  are  busy,  are  unthank- 
ful to  them  for  their  kind  offices,  and  treat  them  always 
with  bad  manners.  But  these  are  only  a  few  of  the 
ways  by  which  children  destroy  the  peace  of  others. 
Some  will  go  so  far  as  to  make  real  quarrels,  by  repeat 
ing  little  foolish  things  which  one  child  says  of  another, 
to  the  very  child  herself  or  by  mentioning  in  public 
what  they  may  have  heard  said  by  their  parents  or 
persons  in  private. 

I  do  not  mean  here  to  find  fault  with  children,  who, 
when  they  see  any  thing  wicked  done,  tell  their  pa- 
rents, or  nurse,  or  any  proper  person  of  it.  This  it  is 
their  duty  to  do,  though  they  may  be  blamed  for  it,  or 
called  tell-tales  or  cants :  names  often  very  sinfully 
used  to  persecute  people  who  are  doing  a  painful  duty, 
in  bringing  to  light  the  hidden  works  of  darkness.  But 
children  who  are  most  fond  of  chattering  and  repeat- 
ing idle  tales,  talking  about  other  people's  business, 


ON    THE    BEATITUDES.  57 

will  often  be  the  last  to  tell  their  parents  when  they  see 
any  thing  done  which  is  really  wicked :  because  this 
sort  of  children  have  seldom  any  true  and  holy  cou- 
rage in  the  cause  of  God. 

And  now,  having  described  a  few  of  the  instances  in 
which  worldly-minded  children  are  unlike  peacemak- 
ers, I  will  beg  you,  my  beloved  children,  to  examine 
your  own  conduct  attentively  and  seriously,  and  I  fear 
you  will  find  that  it  has  been  too  like  the  behaviour 
of  these  worldly-minded  children.  I  fear  that  few  of 
you  have  really  desired  to  be  peacemakers.  But  O  !  I 
entreat  you,  let  old  things  pass  away.  Whatever  your 
past  conduct  may  have  been,  it  is  not  too  late  to  repent. 
The  day  of  grace  is  not  over.  Now  is  the  accepted 
time,  now  is  the  day  of  salvation.  Your  Saviour  calls 
to  you,  and  he  says,  Come  now,  and  let  us  reason 
together :  though  your  sins  be  as  scarlet,  they  shall 
be  as  white  as  snow  ;  though  they  be  red  like  crim- 
son, they  shall  be  as  wool.  Strive,  in  your  Saviour's 
strength,  to  be  poor  in  spirit,  and  mourn  for  your  past 
sin,  to  be  meek  and  lowly  in  heart,  to  hunger  and  thirst 
after  righteousness,  to  be  merciful,  to  be  pure  in  heart: 
thus  ascending  the  Hill  of  Faith  and  Holiness,  you  shall 
come  to  the  Delectable  Mountains  of  Peace.  Here,  my 
children,  you  shall  find  a  safe  and  quiet  dwelling-place. 
Thousands  of  children  have  lived  and  died  in  the  Val- 
ley of  Destruction,  slaves  to  Satan  and  the  world,  and 
they  have  had  their  reward.  But  where  are  they  now  1 
Holy  children,  too,  have  lived  and  died  in  the  service 
of  God.  Those  who  once  mocked  at  them,  can  mock 
at  them  no  more,  for  they  are  gone  to  their  own  place. 
But  where  are  those  holy  children  now  1  Foolish  chil- 
dren counted  their  lives  madness :  but  now  are  they 
numbered  with  the  sons  of  God.  Will  you  follow  them 
to  glory  1  Is  eternal  rest  in  the  Kingdom  of  God  better 
than  endless  burnings  ?  Is  it  better  to  ride  forth  with 


58  ADDRESSES   TO    CHILDREN 

the  armies  of  Heaven,  to  see  the  stars  in  their  bright- 
ness, or  to  be  confined  as  a  living  man  in  an  adaman 
tine  coffin,  in  the  prisons  of  darkness  for  ever  ?  Is  the 
company  of  your  Creator,  your  Saviour,  your  Sanctifier, 
better  than  the  company  of  Satan  and  his  angels  ?  Is  it 
sweeter  to  rest  at  your  Saviour's  feet,  to  be  refreshed 
by  his  smiles,  to  have  all  tears  wiped  away  from  your 
eyes  ?  or  is  it  sweeter  to  be  tormented  for  ever  ? 

Choose,  my  children,  your  portion.  If  it  is  Hell  you 
choose,  take  your  fill  of  the  world:  make  haste,  your 
day  is  short,  it  will  soon  be  closed  in  endless  night. 
But  if  Heaven  is  your  portion,  you  must  up  and  be  do- 
ing— you  must  ascend,  I  repeat  to  you,  the  difficult 
Hills  of  Faith  and  Holiness,  and  stop  not  till  you  reach 
the  Delectable  Mountains  of  Peace — Peace  with  God 
Peace  with  your  own  conscience— Peace  with  your 
fellow-creatures — Then  shall  you  have  a  view  of  the 
spacious  Promised  Land,  the  land  of  oil,  olives  and 
honey.  It  is  a  pleasant  land — it  shall  be  yours,  the 
length  and  breadth  of  all  the  land  as  far  as  Faith  can 


ADDRESS  VIII. 

Blessed  are  they  which  are  persecuted  for  righteousness'  sake :   for  theirs 
is  the  kingdom  of  Heaven."— Matt.  v.  10. 


I  rave  been  endeavouring,  my  dear  children,  in 
what  I  have  lately  said  to  you,  to  give  you  some  few 
outlines  of  the  character  of  a  holy  child.  They  are 
very  imperfect  indeed ;  for  who  can  properly  describe 
those  heavenly  touches  with  which  the  Spirit  of  God 
new  moulds  the  soul  of  man  ?  But  such  as  the  outlines 
are,  they  will  serve  to  show  you  to  yourselves,  and 
make  you  see  how  far  you  have  gone  astray ;  and  I 
hope  they  may  fill  you  with  some  earnest  desires  to 


ON    THE    BEATITUDES.  59 

find  the  narrow  path  which  leads  to  glory,  the  King's 
Highway  of  Holiness. 

-  May  the  Spirit  strengthen  these  desires,  till  you  are 
filled  will  earnest  longings  after  your  eternal  inherit- 
ance !  For  when  you  are  indeed  born  again,  you  shall 
be  the  sons  and  daughters  of  a  King ;  and,  after  you 
have  spent  a  little  time  in  this  land  of  your  banishr„ent, 
this  prison-house,  you  shall  be  set  at  liberty,  you  shall 
dwell  in  the  land  that  is  very  far  off,  and  see  the  King 
in  his  beauty :  for  ye  are  the  redeemed  of  the  Lord ; 
and  ye  shall  come  to  Zion  with  songs  and  everlasting 
joy  upon  your  head,  and  sorrow  and  sighing  shall  flee 
away. 

But  I  must  declare  to  you  the  whole  counsel  of  God : 
if  you  cast  in  your  lot  with  the  people  of  God,  you 
must  count  your  cost ;  you  must,  through  tribulation, 
enter  into  glory ;  if  you  are  faithful  in  doing  your  duty, 
you  will  meet  with  persecution. 

I  shall,  therefore,  in  the  first  place,  proceed  to  ex- 
plain to  you,  how  it  is,  that  if  you  follow  righteousness 
you  shall  be  persecuted.  Next,  I  shall  try  to  show 
you,  how  those  who  are  persecuted  shall  be  blessed. 

We  may  in  this  place  explain  righteousness  to  mean, 
the  doing  our  duty  in  that  state  of  life  to  which  it  has 
pleased  God  to  call  us.  Take  it  in  this  sense,  and  you 
will  soon  see  very  plainly  how  righteousness  leads  to 
persecution.  For  what  is  doing  our  duty  ?  it  is  being 
about  our  heavenly  Father's  business,  and  following 
after  the  will  of  God  in  our  particular  situations,  as  we 
would  follow  after  our  meat  and  drink.  Now,  we  all 
know,  that  doing  the  will  of  God  is  a  very  different 
thing  from  doing  our  own  will  or  the  will  of  men. 
Sometimes  it  may  happen  that  what  it  is  right  for  u^ 
to  do  may  be  pleasant  to  ourselves  and  pleasant  to  other 
people.  Suppose,  for  instance,  your  parents  were  to 
give  you  some  money  to  divide  among  several  poor  peo- 


60  ADDRESSES  TO   CHILDREN 

pie,  or  some  presents  to  distribute  to  your  brothers  and 
sisters,  the  thing  would  be  pleasant  to  yourself  as  well 
as  to  other  people ;  but  it  often  happens,  that  what  is 
right  for  us  to  do  is  unpleasant  to  other  people,  and 
then  we  must  follow  the  will  of  God,  instead  of  our 
own  will,  or  the  will  of  others.  Giving  up  our  own 
will  is  self-denial;  it  is  often  called  also,  taking  up  our 
cross.  But  when  we  do  what  is  against  the  will  of 
men,  we  make  men  our  enemies  for  that  time.  We 
must  expect  some  treatment  from  them  that  is  not  plea- 
sant to  us,  and  which  may  be  called  persecution. 

I  will  give  you  a  few  examples  of  this. 

Suppose  your  parents  were  to  desire  you  to  gather 
the  fruit  of  a  certain  tree  in  their  garden,  requiring  you 
not  to  eat  any  of  it  yourself,  nor  to  suffer  any  one  else 
to  eat  of  it ;  and  ordering  you,  in  case  you  could  not 
prevent  any  person  from  eating  the  fruit,  to  acquaint 
them  with  it ;  and  suppose,  while  you  were  busy  in 
gathering  this  fruit,  a  child  in  the  family  were  to  come 
into  the  garden  and  begin  to  eat  the  fruit ;  and  although 
you  had  civilly  warned  that  child  against  the  conse- 
quences of  eating  the  fruit,  he  were  still  to  persist  in 
gathering  and  eating,  and  you  were  therefore  obliged 
to  tell  your  parents  of  his  behaviour ;  it  is  very  likely 
that  such  a  child  would  become  very  angry  with  you, 
call  you  ill-natured  and  a  tell-tale,  refuse  to  play  with 
you,  and  lead  other  children  to  dislike  you,  and  per- 
haps use  you  ill  in  some  way  himself;  this  would  be 
persecution,  and  it  would  occasion  you  many  painful 
feelings. 

Children  do  not  love  persecution,  and  very  often,  to 
avoid  it,  act  unfaithfully  and  deceive.  In  the  case  we 
have  just  mentioned,  a  child  unfaithful  to  his  duty 
would  have  suffered  his  companion  to  eat  a  little  fruit 
rather  than  have  complained  of  him  and  made  him  his 
enemy.    Many  children  neglect  their  duty  in  various  ( 


ON   THE    BEATITUDES.  61 

ways,  and  will  even  join,  especially  at  school,  in  schemes 
and  plans  they  neither  enjoy  nor  approve  of,  in  order  to 
escape  being  laughed  at,  or  called  a  tell-tale,  or  persecu- 
tion of  some  other  sort.  But  the  child  who  desires  to  be 
faithful,  will  lift  up  his  heart  in  secret  prayer,  when  he  is 
tempted  to  leave  some  duty  undone,  or  to  do  something 
wrong  in  order  to  avoid  persecution.  And  when  the 
persecution  does  come,  he  tells  his  heavenly  Father  of 
all  his  sorrows,  and  lays  his  head  as  it  were  on  his  Sa- 
viour's bosom,  and  he  is  refreshed  with  hidden  com- 
forts ;  he  is  enabled  to  bear  his  trial  with  patience ;  and 
he  remembers  where  it  is  said,  that  if  we  are  faithful 
unto  death,  he  Avill  give  us  a  crown  of  life;  and  often 
it  happens  that  the  heart  of  his  enemies  is  turned  to 
love  him.  And  this  leads  me  to  explain  to  you  more 
particularly  how  the  persecuted  are  blessed. 

Those  wiio  are  persecuted  for  righteousness'  sake 
are  blessed,  because  the  kingdom  of  Heaven  is  theirs. 
Even  in  this  world  many  sweet  consolations  shall  be 
afforded  to  the  faithful  and  persecuted  child  of  God,  as 
I  had  just  begun  to  tell  you. 

The  children  of  God  walk  by  faith ;  the  children  of 
this  world  walk  by  sight ;  and  worldly  children  look 
for  happiness  in  having  a  great  many  worldly  plea- 
sures, and  escaping,  at  any  rate,  from  blame,  and  trou- 
ble, and  punishment.  The  child  of  this  world  is, 
therefore,  unfaithful  in  doing  his  duty,  when  he  can 
get  any  thing  he  likes,  or  escape  any  thing  he  fears,  by 
his  wicked  neglect. 

But  the  ill-gotten  favour  of  his  fellow-creatures  will 
give  him  no  real  peace,  there  is  no  peace  to  the  wicked; 
and  even  wThen  he  seems  to  have  gained  most  by  his 
worldly  compliance,  his  conscience  will  often  say  to 
him,  if  he  has  any  conscience  left,  "  Who  art  thou, 
pat  regardest  man,  whose  breath  is  in  his  nostrils,  and 
forgettest  the  Lord  thy  Maker  ?" 
6 


62  ADDRESSES   TO   CHILDREN 

How  much  sweeter  is  the  lot  of  the  holy  and  faith- 
ful child,  who,  when  he  has  been  faithful  to  God,  and 
offended  his  fellow-creatures,  comes  to  his  Saviour  and 
tells  him  of  his  sorrow.  All  his  journey  through,  the 
faithful  child  shall  be  comforted,  and  supported,  and 
strengthened,  by  his  gracious  Saviour.  Often  his  ene- 
mies will  be  made  to  own  his  innocence,  and  he  will  be 
honoured  before  men,  as  was  the  case  with  Joseph. 
There  is  a  confidence  and  respect  which  even  a  faith- 
ful child  will  meet  with  from  his  fellow-creatures,  when 
he  is  known  and  tried.  I  have  sometimes  seen  more 
trust  reposed  in  a  little  faithful  child  by  its  parents  and 
friends,  than  has  been  placed  in  a  faithless  person  who 
is  three  times  its  age.  But  whether  that  be  so  or  not, 
the  faithful  child  will,  at  the  last  day,  be  owned  and  ac- 
knowledged before  men  and  angels.  In  his  lifetime 
he  did  not  depart  from  his  Saviour,  he  walked  in  the 
strength  of  him  who  had  loved  him  and  laid  down  his 
life  for  him ;  and  now  he  shall  not  be  separated  from 
him,  he  shall  be  with  him  and  see  his  glory ;  he  was 
faithful  over  a  little,  and  now  he  shall  be  made  lore 
over  many  things.  It  shall  be  said  unto  him,  Wei 
done,  thou  good  and  faithful  servant,  enter  thou  into 
the  joy  of  thy  Lord.  (Matt.  xxv.  21.) 

I  come  now,  in  the  last  place,  to  ask  you,  my  dear 
children,  whether  you  have  any  reason  to  think  that 
you  are  faithful  in  doing  your  Master's  will?  whether 
you  are  walking  in  the  way  of  righteousness,  ready  to 
endure  persecution,  if  need  be?  or  whether  you  are 
studying  only  to  please  men,  and  are  in  the  habit  o 
acting  contrary  to  the  will  of  God,  when  you  think 
that  doing  it  will  expose  you  to  the  anger  of  your  fel- 
low-creatures ? 

It  is  your  nature  to  love  your  ease,  and  to  avoid 
whatever  is  difficult  and  troublesome  to  you ;  and  ever 
those  persons  who  are  most  in  the  habit  of  being  cros 


: 


ON   THE    BEATITUDES.  63 

when  they  are  offended,  will  often  be  the  most  unwil- 
ling to  find  fault  when  a  desire  to  walk  faithfully  with 
God  requires  it,  because  this  is  contrary  to  their  nature, 
and  it  is  difficult  to  them. 

Thus,  my  children,  you  may  be  ready  enough  to  mid 
fault  with  others,  when  they  do  not  please  you,  and  to 
insist  upon  having  your  own  way;  but  can  you  stand 
firm  when  your  duty  requires  ?  If  another  child  offers 
to  take  any  thing  from  you,  that  is  committed  to  your 
care,  can  you  resolutely  refuse  him  1  When  you  arc 
sent  of  an  errand  and  ordered  to  return  immediately, 
and  another  child  persuades  you  to  stay  behind  and 
play,  can  you  continue  firm  in  denying  him,  when  he 
laughs  at  you  and  threatens  you  ?  If  your  parents  or 
master  set  you  a  lesson  to  learn  by  yourself,  and,  while 
they  are  out  of  the  room,  other  children  persuade  you 
to  play,  can  you  resolutely  say,  no  ?  When  from  home, 
can  you  refuse  wine,  or  fruit,  or  cake,  or  any  other  in- 
dulgence, when  you  know  that  it  is  your  parents'  de- 
sire that  you  should  not  have  these  things  ?  Can  you 
refuse  to  read  a  book  or  join  in  discourse  disapproved 
of  by  your  parents,  when  other  children  are  persuading 
you  to  it  and  ridiculing  you  for  refusing  ?  Can  you 
stand  alone,  and  say  that  a  thing  is  right  to  be  done, 
and  persist  in  doing  it,  when  the  multitude  around  you 
are  following  evil  1  Now  ask  yourselves  truly,  and  I 
fear  you  will  find  that  you  are  ready  to  be  good  with 
the  good,  but  that  with  the  naughty  you  are  naughty; 
and  that  not  merely  because  you  like  to  be  naughty:  for 
children  who  have  been  kept  from  outward  sin  on  many 
occasions,  had  rather  not  commit  sin,  but  they  are 
naughty  often  with  the  naughty,  because  they  do  not 
like  to  be  laughed  at,  because  they  do  not  like  to  stand 
ill  with  the  world,  to  be  singular,  and  in  some  cases 
because  they  are  afraid  of  being  beaten  or  otherwise 
used  ill  by  wicked  children.    And  why  is  this  ?  Because 


54  ADDRESSES    TO    CHILDREN 

you  love  the  praise  of  men  more  than  the  praise  of  God ; 
because  you  love  self  and  your  own  ease  more  than  the 
will  of  God.  But  deceive  not  yourselves :  if  you  seek 
your  reward  from  man  and  not  from  God,  take  your  re- 
ward and  enjoy  it,  but  it  is  all  you  shall  have. 

In  a  few  years  the  men,  the  women,  the  children 
whom  you  have  sought  to  please  by  being  unfaithful 
to  your  God,  shall  die ;  they  shall  return,  dust  to  dust, 
earth  to  earth,  ashes  to  ashes.  You  may  perhaps  walk 
in  the  church-yard,  and  you  may  be  able  to  say,  "  Un- 
der these  little  hillocks  lie  many  children  whom  I  sought 
to  please  while  they  lived,  by  disobeying  my  God ;  I 
gained  my  reward  by  pleasing  them,  and  now  is  my  re- 
ward perished  with  them."  While  the  faithful  child, 
who  obeyed  God  in  the  midst  of  a  crooked  and  per- 
verse generation,  who  did  his  Father's  will,  not  regard- 
ing the  laughter  and  threats,  or  even  the  stripes  of  sin- 
ful children,  may  joyfully  look  up  and  say,  "  If  in  this 
life  only  we  had  hope  in  Christ,  we  should  of  all  men 
be  most  miserable :  but  now  is  Chirst  risen  from  the 
dead,  and  therefore  our  labour  shall  not  be  in  vain  in 
the  Lord." 

Now  is  the  accepted  time,  now  is  the  day  of  salva- 
tion. Consider  now,  my  beloved  children,  will  you 
choose  your  portion  with  the  faithful  or  the  unfaith- 
ful ?  Now  is  your  heavenly  Father  ready  to  forgive 
your  past  wanderings,  to  wash  away  your  sins  in  the 
precious  blood  of  Christ;  now  is  he  ready  to  give  you 
his  Holy  Spirit  to  strengthen  you  for  the  fight,  and  even 
for  the  victory.  Remember  3-ou  cannot  fight  in  your 
own  strength ;  for  what  is  it  that  overcometh  the  world  ? 
is  it  not  our  faith?  Take  then  the  shield  of  faith,  an< 
the  fiery  darts  of  the  enemy  shall  not  have  power  to  dc 
you  any  real  harm,  and  in  a  little  while  your  warfare 
shall  be  accomplished. 

Perhaps  you  may  be  called  home  while  yet  an  infant 


OK   THE    BEATITUDES.  65 

warrior,  and  may  be  early  numbered  with  the  saints 
in  glory  everlasting.  But  if  your  warfare  should  last 
even  to  old  age,  you  will  still  be  strengthened  for  the 
battle ;  and  as  you  go  forward  on  your  way,  your  path 
shall  be  as  the  shining  light  which  shineth  more  and 
more  unto  the  perfect  day,  till  at  last  you  shall  enter 
into  your  Master's  joy,  and  sit  doAvn  at  his  right  hand 
for  evermore;  while  the  unfaithful  and  impenitent  child 
shall  have  his  candle  put  out  in  everlasting  darkness. 

ADDRESS    IX. 

"Blessed  are  ye,  when  men  shall  revile  you,  and  persecute  you,  and  shall 
say  all  manner  of  evil  against  you  falsely,  for  my  sake.  ..  Rejoice,  and  be 
exceeding  glad :  for  great  is  your  reward  in  Heaven;  for  so  persecuted 
they  the  prophets  which  were  before  you." — Matt.  v.  il,  12. 

I  tried  lately  to  show  you,  that  those  children  who 
are  faithful  in  doing  their  duty,  must  expect  to  meet 
with  persecution :  and  this  is  a  new  and  hard  lesson  for 
children  to  learn  wrho  know  little  of  their  own  hearts, 
and  still  less  of  the  wTorld,  and  who  have  been  used  to 
be  smiled  upon  by  pious  and  tender  parents  in  propor- 
tion to  their  real  good  behaviour.  But  I  have  yet  a 
harder  lesson  than  this  to  teach  you.  The  wicked 
world  persecutes  not  only  the  children  who  are  faith- 
ful in  doing  their  duty  to  their  fellow-creatures ;  but, 
what  is  still  wTorse,  it  will  often  persecute  them  more 
for  loving  God,  and  being  faithful  to  their  Saviour — for 
honouring  that  sacred  name  in  which  they  ought  to 
glory  above  all  things.  You  must  read  your  Bible  di- 
ligently, my  children,  and  then  you  will  understand 
how  these  things  are.  You  will  find  that,  ever  since 
the  fall  of  man,  there  has  been  a  warfare  between  the 
children  of  God  and  the  children  of  Satan.  The  Old 
Testament  is  a  history  of  this,  before  the  coming  of 
Christ ;  and  when  our  blessed  Lord  appeared  on  earth, 
6* 


66  ADDRESSES   TO    CHILDREN 

you  know  how  his  enemies  joined  together  against 
him,  and  how  for  a  time  they  seemed  to  prosper :  for 
they  crucified  the  Lord  of  Life.  He  did  triumph,  glo- 
riously triumph  over  them ;  but  still  the  same  warfare 
has  been  continued  ever  since,  between  his  followers 
and  the  followers  of  Satan ;  and  we  are  told  that  it  will 
be  so,  in  one  form  or  another,  till  Christ  shall  come 
again  to  reign  gloriously,  and  to  destroy  with  the  breath 
of  his  mouth,  all  who  have  dared  to  oppose  him. 

Then  shall  his  kingdom  be  established  on  earth ;  then 
shall  all  hearts  be  turned  to  him ;  those  who  were  once 
fierce  like  the  lion  shall  lie  down  with  the  lamb-like 
followers  of  Christ :  then  shall  the  desert  rejoice,  and 
blossom  as  the  rose.  It  shall  blossom  abundantly, 
and  rejoice  even  with  joy  and  singing;  the  glory  of 
Lebanon  shall  be  given  unto  it,  the  excellency  of 
Carmel  and  Sharon  :  they  shall  see  the  glory  of  the 
Lord,  and  the  excellency  of  our  God.  (Isaiah  xxxv. 
1,2.) 

Our  Saviour  knew  that  his  people  would  meet  with 
this  persecution,  and  he  therefore  encourages  them  to 
rejoice  in  it,  by  giving  them  very  great  and  glorious 
promises. 

I  will  just  repeat  again  to  you  the  verses  I  have  be- 
gun to  explain. 

Blessed  are  ye,  when  men  shall  revile  you,  and 
persecute  you,  and  shall  say  all  manner  of  evil 
against  you  falsely,  for  my  sake.  Rejoice,  and  be 
exceeding  glad :  for  great  is  your  reward  in  Hea- 
ven :  for  so  persecuted  they  the  prophets  which  were 
before  you. 

The  persecution  which  the  followers  of  Christ  meet 
with  at  different  seasons  and  under  different  circum- 
stances, is  not  at  all  of  the  same  kind.  And  I  shall 
now  endeavour  to  explain  to  you,  in  the  first  place, 
what  sort  of  persecution  Christian  children  in  this  land 


ON   THE    BEATITUDES.  67 

are  most  likely  to  meet  with ;  and  in  the  next  place,  I 
shall  describe  to  you  the  different  conduct  of  faithful 
and  unfaithful  children  under  this  persecution. 

Once  holy  children  were  burned,  were  tormented, 
and  underwent  various  cruel  hardships,  because  they 
were  faithful  to  their  Lord  and  Saviour :  but,  thanks  be 
to  God,  these  days  have  passed  away.  The  persecu- 
tion of  the  present  day  is  chiefly  that  of  cruel  mock- 
ings  ;  and  though,  at  first  sight,  it  seems  much  easier  to 
bear  to  be  laughed  at  than  to  suffer  pain,  yet  perhaps 
Satan  knew  that  the  fear  of  being  laughed  at  would 
turn  more  people  from  God,  than  the  fear  of  pain,  and 
therefore  he  kept  it  for  his  last  trial. 

Children  have  not  in  general  to  fear  being  beaten  or 
outwardly  hurt  for  loving  Christ,  though  that  some- 
times happens  ;  but  sneers  and  laughter  are  very  com- 
mon, and  they  will  find  them  very  hard  to  bear. 

Suppose  a  little  child,  brought  up  in  pious  habits, 
and  really  desiring  to  live  a  life  of  communion  with 
God,  has  accidentally  a  visiter,  who  from  circum- 
stances is  compelled  to  be  its  bedfellow,  and  this  child 
has  not  been  used  to  any  habits  of  serious  religion,  but 
perhaps  has  heard  them  ridiculed ;  when  he  sees  his 
little  pious  companion  kneel  down  once,  or  twice,  or 
perhaps  three  times,  in  the  course  of  the  day  by  his 
bed-side,  and  spend  more  time  there  than  is  the  ordi- 
nary custom,  and  then  observes  him  sit  down  quietly 
to  read  a  few  verses  in  his  Bible ;  he  will  perhaps  laugh 
outright  at  him,  call  him  a  Methodist  or  some  name  of 
reproach ;  or,  if  he  is  too  polite  to  go  so  far,  he  will 
perhaps  look  at  him  with  contempt,  and  speak  of  him 
as  a  kind  of  fool.  And  he  will  do  this  still  more,  if  in 
the  course  of  the  time  they  spend  together  the  one 
should  object  to  any  diversion,  or  anyway  of  talking, 
as  sinful,  of  which  the  other  is  particularly  fond.  How 
often  does  the  contemptuous  sneer  of  the  wicked  child 


68  ADDRESSES   TO    CHILDREN" 

prevail !  The  once  holy  and  happy  child  listens  to  the 
voice  of  Satan,  who  fills  him  with  false  shame ;  he 
shortens  his  times  of  prayer — sometimes  lays  prayer 
aside  entirely — does  not  open  his  Bible  at  all,  and 
moulds  his  thoughts  and  feelings  by  the  views  of  his 
worldly  companion :  he  becomes  ashamed  of  his  Sa- 
viour, and  a  slave  to  the  fear  of  man ;  and  that  peace 
which  passeth  all  understanding,  departs  from  his  mind, 
not  to  come  back  till  by  faith  and  repentance  he  returns 
into  the  narrow  way. 

Some  trial  of  the  sort  which  I  have  just  described, 
happens  to  all  children  upon  mixing  with  worldly  com- 
panions at  home,  or  at  school,  or  even  in  an  occasional 
visit. 

It  is  very  plain  that  the  temptation  of  ridicule  is  very 
strong,  or  else  we  should  not  see  so  much  lukewarm- 
ness,  so  much  deadness  in  religion,  as  is  common  among 
the  children  of  this  day  through  fear  of  ridicule.  How 
many  children  do  we  see,  worldly  with  the  worldly,  re- 
ligious with  the  religious,  like  waves  of  the  sea  tossed 
to  and  fro.  But  think  not  that  such  children  can  prosper 
in  what  they  do :  they  must  repent ;  they  must  turn  to 
God,  and  seek  to  be  washed  clean  in  the  blood  of  Christ, 
and  to  be  renewed  by  his  Spirit,  or  they  must  expect 
the  portion  of  the  unfaithful  servant,  continual  rest- 
lessness, uneasiness,  and  alarm  in  this  world,  and  in 
the  next  world  to  be  for  ever  cast  out  of  His  presence 
of  whom  they  have  been  ashamed. 

It  is  not  possible  for  me  to  mention  every  kind  of 
ridicule  which  children  are  likely  to  meet  with,  but  I 
have  given  you  a  faint  outline  of  its  nature ;  and  if  you 
will,  with  that  outline  in  your  mind,  look  into  your  own 
habits  of  life  and  the  habits  of  the  company  whom  you 
are  most  likely  to  meet  with,  you  will  easily  find  out 
the  occasions  in  which  each  of  you  are  most  exposed 
to  ridicule  on  account  of  religion,  and  these  are  the 
occasions  on  which  you  must  be  especially  armed.       3 


ON   THE    BEATITUDES.  69 

I  have  shown  you  a  little  of  the  misery  of  the  child 
who  is  unfaithful  to  his  Saviour ;  the  fears  of  religion 
are  the  only  part  of  it  which  he  tastes,  the  sweet  com- 
forts of  it  and  its  privileges  are  for  the  faithful  child. 
Let  us  look  now  a  little  at  another  picture,  let  us  look 
at  the  faithful  child — 

"  Among  the  faithless,  faithful  only  he." 

Blessed  is  the  child  who  endures  persecution,  let  him 
rejoice  and  be  exceeding  glad  even  in  this  world,  for 
great  is  his  reward  in  Heaven.  The  faithful  child  is 
very  careful  to  avoid  offending  his  companions  need- 
lessly ;  that  is,  he  is  good-humoured,  he  is  ready  to  give 
up  his  own  advantage,  that  he  may,  if  possible,  win 
them  over  to  his  Saviour's  cause.  He  is  very  careful, 
that  his  selfishness  and  ill-temper  should  procure  him 
no  enemies ;  and  giving  up  to  his  companions  in  all 
innocent  ways,  he  determines  to  stand  firm  as  a  rock 
in  his  Master's  strength,  in  the  cause  of  religion.  His 
heart  and  his  treasure  are  in  Heaven,  and  he  counts 
all  earthly  things  as  loss  for  the  excellency  of  the 
knowledge  of  Christ.  He  stores  his  mind  with  hea- 
venly promises,  and  exercises  himself  in  holy  medita- 
tions. He  loves  to  see,  as  already  his  own,  the  golden 
battlements  of  Zion.  He  has  weighed  earthly  and  hea- 
venly things  in  the  balance,  and  he  has  found  that  earth- 
ly things  are  lighter  than  vanity.  He  has  sat  down,  and 
counted  the  cost ;  and  though  he  loves  not  persecution, 
for  who  can  love  to  be  laughed  at  ?  yet  it  does  not  make 
him  waver  and  hesitate ;  he  does  not  turn  out  of  the  path 
of  duty  to  avoid  being  laughed  at,  he  goes  on  steadily, 
taking  up  his  cross,  as  his  Lord  and  Master  did  before. 
He  does  not  lay  aside  his  prayer  or  his  Bible,  or  shorten 
his  time  of  devotion.  He  does  not  follow  any  sinful 
practice  with  his  companions,  or  hide  his  opinion  of 
sin,  if  called  upon  to  speak  out,  because  he  is  afraid  of 
ridicule:  but   remembering  that  he  is  a  pilgrim  and 


70  ADDRESSES    TO    CHILDREN 

stranger  upon  earth,  he  bears  the  ill-treatment  he  meets 
with  patiently j  it  neither  leads  him  to  give  up  his  duty, 
nor  provokes  him  to  be  fierce  and  passionate.  He 
rests  himself  on  his  Saviour,  and  in  his  patience  pos- 
sesses his  soul ;  and  though  outwardly  afflicted,  though 
worldly  children  count  his  life  madness,  though  he  is 
sometimes  in  heaviness,  and  perhaps  in  tears,  yet  still 
he  rejoices  in  tribulation.  Often  when  in  prayer,  and 
as  it  were  alone  with  Christ,  his  comforts  will  distil  like 
dew  upon  him,  refreshing  him,  and  causing  his  graces 
as  it  were  to  bud  anew,  and  send  forth  a  sweet  perfume. 
Sometimes  he  will  have  such  sweet  hopes  of  glory  as 
will  make  him  feel  that  his  present  trials  are  nothing ; 
he  will  rejoice  and  be  exceedingly  glad  with  joy  un- 
speakable and  full  of  glory. 

It  will  often  happen  too,  that  his  steady,  consistent, 
and  gentle  conduct  will  in  time  win  over  his  very  ene- 
mies; those  who  persecuted  him  most  will  in  their 
hearts  respect  him  far  more  than  they  do  the  wavering 
and  unstable  child,  and  his  consistent  conduct  may  even 
be  made  the  means  of  overcoming  the  enmity  that  is  in 
the  hearts  of  worldly  children  against  true  religion  j 
and  then  will  his  enemies,  seeing  his  good  works,  glo- 
rify his  Father  who  is  in  Heaven ;  and  those  children 
who  persecuted  him  like  wolves  and  lions,  shall  now 
lie  down  with  him  in  their  Master's  fold  like  lambs. 
This  is  no  uncommon  case,  and  when  it  does  happen, 
it  most  sweetly  refreshes  and  encourages  the  holy  child 
in  his  way  to  Zion.  But  however  that  may  be,  whe- 
ther he  sees  his  enemies  turned  to  him  or  not,  he  goes 
on  still  in  the  way,  praying  for  them,  and  leaning  on 
his  Saviour,  patient  in  hope,  rejoicing  in  tribulation, 
till  the  days  of  his  pilgrimage  are  over,  and  he  enters 
into  his  Master's  joy :  for  great  shall  be  his  reward  in 
Heaven,  through  the  merits  of  Him  who  has  strength- 
ened him  all  the  journey  through.  O !  happy  child.' 
O !  blessed  end ! 


! 


ON   THE    BEATITUDES.  71 

O  that  I  could,  in  taking  leave  of  you,  my  beloved 
children,  exhort  you  to  tread  in  his  steps  !  O  that  I  had 
the  tongue  of  an  angel,  to  persuade  you  to  choose  the 
path  of  life !  Eternity  !  Eternity  !  Eternity  !  Let  me 
remind  you  to  weigh  well  that  word :  consider  what 
eternity  is,  and  upon  what  it  depends — even  upon  the 
manner  in  which  you  spend  the  few  remaining  years, 
^perhaps  days,  of  life.  O,  my  beloved  children  !  who 
have  once  smiled  as  innocent  babes  in  the  arms  of  ten- 
der parents,  can  it  be  that  you  shall  inherit  eternal  mi- 
sery, bitter  groans,  and  endless  crying  ?  Far  be  it  from 
us  to  entertain  so  dreadful  a  thought,  whatever  you 
may  have  once  been,  however  you  may  have  hitherto 
despised  the  privileges  of  Christian  baptism,  though 
you  may  have  erred  and  strayed  from  your  Saviour's 
fold  like  lost  sheep,  yet  the  day  of  grace  is  not  past : 
your  Saviour  holds  out  his  arms  to  receive  you ;  he  in- 
vites you  to  come  to  him  that  you  may  be  saved. 
Come  to  him  as  poor  and  sinful  children,  poor  in  spirit 
and  mourning  for  sin,  and  learn  of  him  to  be  meek,  to 
hunger  and  thirst  after  righteousness,  to  be  merciful, 
to  be  pure,  to  be  peacemakers.  Be  ready  to  take  up 
your  cross,  to  endure  persecution  for  righteousness' 
sake  and  your  Master's  sake.  Stretch  out  your  feeble 
arms  after  Christ,  and  he  will  strengthen  you  to  lay  hold 
firmly  of  him  by  faith ;  and  in  his  strength  you  shall 
make  daily  advances  in  all  these  heavenly  Christian 
graces.  But  do  not  try  to  do  any  thing  in  your  own 
strength :  you  can  never  do  any  thing  better  in  your 
own  strength,  than  make  resolutions  and  break  them. 
This  is  one  reason  why  children  do  so  little,  because 
they  put  so  much  confidence  in  themselves  and  so  little 
in  their  Saviour.  Without  me,  our  Saviour  says,  ye 
can  do  nothing.  (John  xv.  5.)  Did  you  ever  love  to 
follow  the  steps  of  a  tender  mother,  to  wait  upon  her 
for  a  thousand  little  gifts  of  love  and  kindness,  for  sweet 


72  addr:_        __  .xxx^kjs.v,  <&c." 

smiles  as  well  as  more  solid  gifts  ?   This  pleasant 
pendent  life  of  infancy  cannot  yet  be  forgotten  by  y< 
you  were  babes  not  many  years  ago. 

As  you  once  thus  followed  a  beloved  parent,  so  n 
by  faith  follow  Christ  all  the  day  long,  to  obtan.  __ 
don,  holiness,  and  peace,  wisdom  and  direction  in  y< 
difficulties,  and  success  in  your  undertakings:  tl 
shall  you  indeed  lead  a  happy  life,  for  you  shall  be  s 
ported  and  comforted  under  all  troubles,  and  the  in: 
cent  pleasures  of  life  shall  be  doubly  pleasant  to  y 
For  Jesus  Christ  himself  has  said  that  you  shall 
blessed,  because  you  are  poor  in  spirit,  because  3 
mourn  for  sin :  because  you  are  meek,  you  shall 
blessed ;  because  you  hunger  and  thirst  after  righteo 
ness,  you  shall  be  blessed ;  because  you  are  pure 
heart,  because  you  are  a  peacemaker,  you  shall  be  blc 
ed  ;  because  you  are  persecuted  for  Christ's  sake,  3 
shall  be  blessed.  Yes,  for  all  these  things  you  shall 
blessed — Blessed  in  time — Blessed  in  eternity.  ] 
not  for  your  own  sake  shall  you  be  blessed,  but  beca 
you  are  one  with  Christ,  members  of  his  body,  and 
made  the  children  of  the  living  God,  and  fellow  h< 
with  your  Elder  Brother  of  the  kingdom  of  Heav 
And  when  at  the  last  day  that  awful  sentence  shall 
pronounced  upon  all  impenitent  and  unfaithful  cl 
dren,  Depart  from  me,  ye  cursed,  into  everlasti: 
fire,  (Matt.  xxv.  41,)  you  shall  then  hear  your  G 
and  Father,  your  Saviour  and  Redeemer,  calling  to  yt 
and  saying,  "  Come,  ye  blessed  children,  enter  into  \ 
glory  that  was  prepared  for  you  from  the  foundat5 
of  the  world." 


THE  END. 


I 


